


Lost and Found

by DragonWyrd316



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, L&F, NSFW, Romance, infiltrator, just a lotta shit lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-05-22
Updated: 2013-11-11
Packaged: 2017-11-07 04:17:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 86,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/426833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonWyrd316/pseuds/DragonWyrd316
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joker's been there since the very beginning.  How will their story play out?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Joker

A flash of impossibly long white blond hair trailed almost to the ground as the woman it belonged to was carried in a fireman's hold to the med bay as they sped away from Eden Prime.  Blue-grey eyes awash with unshed tears as one of their own gave their life to destroy a cloning facility on Virmire.  Strong arms wrapped around him as he was escorted to an escape pod, disappearing as he was strapped in, the final blast to the ship catapulting their owner into the void outside of the dying vessel.  A struggling figure that quickly shrank from view as his pod hurtled away from the wreckage.  These images and more were a constant companion in his sleeping hours.  It had been over a year since he saw Kara Shepard get spaced, but he still couldn't get her out of his thoughts - or his heart.  Even now he still mentally kicked himself for never admitting his feelings for her, even though he was sure she didn't return them.  
  
Sighing, he rubbed the heel of his palm against his heart, the ache there worse than the ever present pounding in his head from yet another night spent in a bottle.  He cracked an eye open then immediately shut it as sunlight crept through the part in the curtains to spear itself into his brain.  Groaning, Joker struggled to crawl out of bed.  He quickly attached the bracers to his legs, then swore a blue streak as he clumsily knocked over his crutches that had been leaning up against the bedside table.  The resulting crash as they fell into a pile of empty liquor tubes screamed inside his head.  With careful maneuvering, he picked them up and, with awkward slowness, made his way to the head to take care of business.  He stared at himself in the mirror, barely recognizing the pale, gaunt face that looked back at him.  His eyes were bloodshot and his facial hair looked like something even a vagrant would be too embarrassed to be seen with.  Shrugging, he hobbled to the kitchen in the small apartment the Alliance had given him after they had ordered him grounded.  
  
Green eyes surveyed the mess in the cramped space.  Dirty dishes were piled everywhere ever since he had dismissed the cleaning service that had been hired for him.  He turned to the cooling unit, opening it up, and grabbed for the jug of synthetic milk.  As he uncapped it and brought it up to his lips to take a swig, the stench of spoiled dairy hit his nose and he shoved the container back into its spot on the shelf.  
  
"You can't keep living like this, Joker," Anderson's voice crept toward him from the living area.  Barely catching himself as he stumbled from shock, Joker crept out of the kitchen to look at his old captain.  
  
"I'll live however I damn well please, Captain," Joker spit out.  
  
"You're not helping yourself by hiding away from the world.  And look at this place!  I wouldn't be surprised if they had to condemn the building with the mess you have piled up in here."  
  
"I'm not hiding from the world!  I just don't want to be around people is all," Joker mumbled, not looking at Anderson as the man's words hit a bit too close to home.  
  
"It won't bring her back, Joker," Anderson's voice was quiet and filled with sorrow.  
  
"I know it won't!  I saw her get spaced if you remember.  They didn't have to freaking ground me though."  
  
"Can you blame them for grounding you?  You're not exactly the most stable element right now, Jeffrey Benjamin Moreau.  How can they trust that you won't trash the first ship they put in your hands?"  
  
"I would have been fine if they'd let me fly after I'd healed.  But first it was excuses as to what my mental state must have been after seeing the Commander and the Normandy lost.  Then it was excuses about my Vrolik's making me a less than stellar candidate, no matter the fact that I am the best damned pilot they've ever had.  After that they made noises about how maybe if I'd been a fraction faster in executing evasive maneuvers that maybe the Normandy and Shepard would still be here.  Y'know what?  Fuck 'em!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Joker…" Anderson began.  
  
"I don't need your apologies, Captain.  I got dumped and that brown noser, Alenko, gets a damned promotion.  I don't need them.  They can keep their sub-standard flyboys."  
  
"I know it's not fair.  Unfortunately the Alliance listens to me just as well as the Council does lately - which means pretty much not at all.  I wish there was something I could do."  
  
"They've ripped apart everything she stood for!  Used her for damned recruiting purposes until they began agreeing with the Council that the Reapers were nothing but a figment of Saren's imagination and then tucked her away like she was some sort of embarrassment!  That's what's not fair!  She deserves… deserved… better!"  
  
Joker sighed and slumped into one of the overstuffed chairs, the living area surprisingly clean, minus a layer of dust, as he very rarely set foot in the room anymore.  His eyes scanned the small pile of discs that he had recorded without Kara's knowledge, of her during each of their missions when he could get decent video feed, or just spending time relaxing with the rest of the Normandy crew.  They were the reason he didn't step out of his room much lately, every image burned into his brain and shattering his composure any time he watched them.  He glanced sideways at Anderson as the man situated himself in a chair beside the Flight Lieutenant, then down at his hands that were clasped tight between his knees.  
  
"I agree.  It's not right what they've done to her and the work she did to save them and the Citadel, but what am I supposed to do?  I might be on the Council but I'm basically a commodity.  They can point at me and tell the universe that humans have finally earned the respect needed to serve the greater good while ignoring our needs in the face of the other races.  The Alliance treats me with a little more respect, but now that I'm no longer of their ranks, they've basically closed their doors to me too."  
  
"So basically we busted our asses to save their lives and we get shit on, is that it, Captain?  Screw the Council and the Alliance.  I deserved better and so does… did Kara."  
  
He looked up from his hands over to the man sitting beside him.  
  
"Why are you here, anyway?"  
  
"Your doctor and Chakwas got a hold of me.  They're worried about you since you haven't been reporting in for your treatments."  
  
"What's the point?  It's not like I'm going to be allowed to fly again."  
  
"What would you do if you were to seriously injure yourself since you won't let anyone in?  That's exactly what could happen if you don't continue with your treatments."  
  
"Fine, fine, I'll go.  Now will you leave me alone?"  
  
"I'll be checking with your doctor to make sure you're actually going through with it, Joker.  If you don't I might be forced to result to drastic measures that you won't like."  
  
"Alright, alright!  I said I'd go!"  
  
Anderson looked at the young man beside him and sighed.  Unfolding himself from the chair, he made his way to the door before turning to look back at Joker.  
  
"I miss her too.  You're not the only one grieving, young man.  You might not realize this, but the day I received word of what happened, I felt as if I'd lost a daughter."  
  
As Joker looked up to reply, the door shut silently behind Anderson, leaving him alone in the silent room.  Laying his head in his hands, he let himself finally mourn the woman who had come to mean the world to him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He wouldn't admit it to anyone, especially Anderson, but he did feel better now that he'd cleaned himself up and shaved.  He just hated how fuzzy he felt after each treatment, even though he understood the need for the additional pain blockers.  He'd tried it once without them and his body had cried for days.  The agony had been excruciating.  
  
Stumbling into his apartment, he stopped and sniffed the air, wrinkling his nose at the overpowering lemon scent that seemed to cling to the air.  His eyes focused on the woman in the corner dusting the window sill.  
  
"What the hell?" he muttered.  
  
"Councilor Anderson hired my services to set your home back to rights.  He said you'd been ill and couldn't manage the job on your own.  I had hoped to be finished before you returned since he expressly stated that you weren't keen on personal interaction for the time being.  He also had your cooling unit restocked," the maid replied, scurrying around the room to pick up her supplies.  She bobbed her head to him then quickly let herself out of his apartment.  
  
The message light was blinking on his comm. system.  Sighing, Joker arranged himself in front of the console and accessed his messages.  He frowned as the message wasn't from Anderson as he had expected, but instead was from some unknown sender.  Spam more than likely, though he brought the message up on screen.  
  
_Mr. Moreau,_  
  
It has come to my attention that the Alliance has decided to waste the talents of an incredibly able pilot.  I could use someone with your skills for an important mission I'm funding.  I apologize for not going into too much detail at this time, but until I know you're interested and on board with this project, I cannot explain further.  
  
Joker stared at the message for a long while, scratching his forehead under the brim of his cap before setting his fingers to the virtual keyboard in front of him.  
  
_Whoever you are,_  
  
I'm not going to just jump into your pockets without more information.  It's true that the Alliance has grounded me and that I'd do anything to fly again, but until I know that your 'mission' isn't me just acting as a pilot for a puddle jumper escorting the rich and idiotic to their intended luxury vacation spots, I'm not going to give you the yes you're looking for.  Sorry.  
  
He smirked as he leaned back in his chair, then nearly jumped in surprise as the system beeped, signaling a new message.  
  
_Mr. Moreau,_  
  
That you wouldn't accept without more information speaks well of you.  I would have doubted your mental capacity had you acted otherwise.  Let's just say that this mission is a continuation of what you had been working on prior to your ship's demise.  If you are interested or would like more information, please feel free to keep in contact.  If you do sign up, as an added bonus to you, we have scientists who have been working on implants to assist with your Vrolik's disease.  I have been assured that they will eliminate your need for the crutches and braces you must heavily rely on at this time.  
  
"Holy…" Joker whispered as he read and re-read the message.  If he could pace, he'd be doing just that, as the message tugged at him.  He knew that Kara wasn't coming back, but if what this person said was true, it might be a way for him to continue on in her memory.  With difficulty, he stumbled his way to the kitchen and, opening the cooler, pulled out a tube of orange juice, downing half of it in almost a single gulp.  His eyes kept returning to the alcove where the message still sat on the screen, his thoughts a jumble in his head.  Replacing the cap back on the tube, he hobbled back to the chair, his fingers flying over the keyboard the moment his crutches were out of his hands.  
  
_Ok, you've got my attention.  Not so much about the implants, though those are a nice touch, but about the rest.  So you're going after the Reapers?  If that's true, you've got yourself the best damned pilot that's ever been known to man.  Anything I can do to continue what my friend had been working toward, I will do it._  
  
After sending it off, he slumped in his chair as he suffered from an 'oh shit' moment.  Torn between feeling relieved that he had committed himself to this and wanting to send another note back canceling the whole deal, he raised weary eyes to the console as yet another message appeared.  
  
_Mr. Moreau,_  
  
Welcome aboard.  I will be sending a shuttle to collect you at 0900 hours tomorrow morning to take you to our medical facility to begin both your orientation and settling you in for the transplants.  Pack light.  We have everything you'll need here.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Joker looked around the pristine facility as he stepped away from the shuttle.  Granted it was only the shuttle bay, but it was still impressive.  Now that he was back on his own two feet, he surveyed the vehicle that brought him to the station, the symbol on the side giving him pause.  It was the universal symbol for Cerberus, a well known human terrorist organization.  He felt a moment of panic squeezing his chest, knowing how Kara felt about them.  He turned as he saw a figure walking toward him, succeeding at keeping his mouth closed and his tongue firmly planted within, as the woman stopped in front of him.  How she was able to keep the skin tight white uniform from bursting at the seams where her body curved was beyond him, but figuring it was smarter to keep quiet, he said nothing.  
  
"Welcome, Mr. Moreau.  I am Miranda Lawson.  I will be giving you a brief tour of the facility as well as showing you to your room and answering any questions you might have.  One of our medical specialists will meet with you later on this afternoon to explain the nature of your own procedure.  My time with you will be brief as I have my own project that is taking up the majority of my attention."  
  
Nodding, he followed behind her as she gave him a brief rundown of the nature of the facility, explaining that it was mainly a medical facility, though it dealt with one project and one project only - something called the Lazarus.  He frowned as she stated that the success or failure of this project would decide the nature of his own role - whether or not they'd need a pilot to man the helm of a ship to go after the Reaper menace.  
  
"Uh, excuse me… but what exactly is this Lazarus project you're talking about?  I think I deserve to know since you said my employment hinges on whether or not you can pull this off."  
  
"Understood.  If you would follow me?" she replied, leading him through a maze of hallways until they stood at a bank of windows overlooking the large med bay below.  
  
Joker leaned forward and looked down into the room, almost squashing his face against the glass as he stared at the body laid out on the table.  
  
"That's not funny.  She's dead," he muttered, turning to look at the curvy brunette next to him.  
  
"I assure you, it's Shepard.  We recovered her body after the destruction of the Normandy and have been working night and day to restore her, to bring her back to life and the woman she was.  So far we've been successful, but if she does not retain any of her original personality or thought processes, if she has changed, then this will be deemed a failure."  
  
He turned back to the window and looked down at the woman laying on the table again, his fingers tracing the glass.  He began to silently pray to every deity he could remember hearing of that the project succeeded.  It became a litany in his mind throughout the next six months and twelve days, carrying him through the pain of his own implants and his removal to yet another facility while he went through physical therapy to strengthen the muscles in his legs.  
  
He promised himself that if she pulled through this, he wouldn't make the mistake again of keeping his feelings hidden from the blond haired angel who haunted his dreams.


	2. Kara

Kara sighed and shook her head as she tried to focus on the pile of paperwork strewn across her desk.  She didn't know what it was about her that kept Staff Lieutenant Alenko from understanding that she wasn't interested in him.  First he had tried to kiss her when they were locked down at the port on the Citadel, which thankfully Joker had interrupted.  Then the idiot actually had the balls to try and bed her prior to arriving on Ilos.  She was fond of him, sure, but in the way that sisters are fond of their brothers.  He was family and that was the extent of it.  
  
Joker… her lips unconsciously curved as the pilot's name crossed her conscience.  He might come off as prickly to the rest of the crew, but he was the one she turned to most often during her downtime.  Granted, it had taken a while after her initial blunder soon after she had been given control of the Normandy.  Well maybe it was more of a FUBAR on both their parts - him mentioning his disease, not realizing she had no clue anything was wrong, and her asking questions to get a better idea of what he was dealing with.  It wasn't until after he had found her drowning herself in the mess after an altercation with someone from her past that the awkwardness had truly passed between them.  She had quietly described her life growing up within the gangs of Detroit, the training she had received at their hands and the reason behind why she was such a crack shot with a sniper rifle.  He had listened as she had gone on to describe the horrors of Akuze and how she continued to deal with survivor's guilt.  The gentle touch of his hand on hers, the hand of one who shied away from human touch as much as the one he tried to comfort, had calmed the beast inside her.  They had become near inseparable after that day and the cocky pilot had found a way to worm himself inside her heart though she wasn't comfortable yet with the thought of divulging such information.  
  
"Prepare for evasive maneuvers!" she heard Joker's voice ring out.  
  
Her eyes narrowed as she felt the Normandy bank sharply starboard, and she braced her feet, her hands gripping the edge of the desk as she carefully stood.  Grabbing her weapons, she staggered toward the door as the ship then veered port side, barely keeping upright.  As best as she could, she dashed through the corridors, her body slamming into one of the walls as the ship shuddered from a massive blast.  Shaking her head to rid herself of the ringing in her ears, she continued forward, pulling her helm over her head and fastening it tight to her suit.  
  
"Joker, if you haven't already, deploy the distress beacon," she ordered as she dodged the mass of bodies fleeing the scene of the initial blast.  
  
"You got it, Commander!" his voice rang in her ears.  
  
"Commander!  Shepard!" she heard Kaidan's voice over the cacophony of screams and screeching metal.  
  
"What, Alenko?" her voice was sharper than needed as she concentrated on grabbing up the fire extinguishers and passing them out to the nearby crew.  
  
"Do you think the Alliance will get here in time?"  
  
"They'd damn well better!  I'm not doing this just so they can find our frozen corpses!"  
  
"Joker's still in the cockpit.  He won't leave, Commander."  
  
"Get everyone into the shuttles.  I'll take care of Joker."  
  
"I'm not leaving either."  
  
"I gave you a direct order, Kaidan.  Go, now!"  
  
"Aye, aye, Commander," he sighed, watching her slim form disappear into the smoke beyond before he ran off to rally those he could into the escape pods.  
  
The ship bucked up beneath her as she made her way as quickly as she could toward the cockpit, ducking debris as the numerous explosions continued to tear the ship apart both inside and out.  Stumbling over a corpse of one of her crew, she felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach, the only thing keeping her going was the sound of Joker's voice over the comm. system.  Upon entering the main area of the CIC floor, a shiver strobed up and down her spine at the lack of anything overhead but a huge gaping hole, glad for the gravity inserts in her boots keeping her from floating away with the other bits and pieces.  The lack of structure surrounding her slowed her movements, any misstep on her part the difference between life or death, both for her and for the man she was risking her life for.  
  
"C'mon, baby, hold together," she heard his voice so clearly in her helm, calming the nerves that sparked within her belly.  Pushing the debris out of her way and clearing the path for their return, she entered the cockpit, her eyes briefly resting on Pressly's body before focusing on Joker.  
  
"Joker, we have to go," she said, resting a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I can save her, Commander!"  
  
"The Normandy's lost.  Going down with her won't change that, only cause me to lose another friend," she murmured.  
  
"You're right, damnit!  Give me a hand, will ya?" he sighed.  Both of them froze as they watched the external monitors.  
  
"Shit, they're coming around for another attack!" Joker cried out, sitting back down in his chair to try and maneuver them out of the blast zone, hoping it would buy them a bit more time.  
  
With as much gentleness as she could muster, given the nature of the situation, she helped him out of his chair, stopping only long enough for the enemy's particle beam to move out of their path.  The trek back to the pod seemed to take less time than the original trip, perhaps because she had already cleared a path for them both, or because the sense of urgency had doubled.  Pushing him into the pod, Kara helped him strap in.  Another blast shook the remaining shell of the Normandy, lifting her off of her feet and out of the pod.  Her hands clawed for purchase, Joker's panicking gaze meeting hers as he shouted her name.  The metal was too slick for even the rubber grips of her gloves and no match for the explosion that rocketed the ship from yet another attack from the enemy vessel.  Tears misted the inside of her visor as she saw the door to Joker's pod latch, the pod then expelled into space, away from the wreckage.  Her vision dimmed as she realized the seals of her suit had been compromised and she struggled, trying to clamp them off, then passed out as her body reacted to the lack of oxygen.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
She dreamed.  She dreamed of the paradise Ilos could have been had it not been spoiled by Saren and his geth in their effort to regain the entrance into the Citadel portal to open it to the Reapers.  She dreamed of her and Joker walking side by side, hand in hand, through the lush vegetation the planet had to offer.  Sometimes she imagined Ashley beside her, telling her she understood, even agreed, with her decision to leave her on Virmire.  Other times the woman tried to get her to follow her down some unknown path, each time she tried dread would hold her back.  
  
Voices filtered in and out of her subconscious, voices she didn't recognize.  They always seemed to become more insistent every time she tried to do something important in her dreams, such as finally gathering up the courage to tell Joker how she felt about him.  She wished they'd go away so she could have that time to lay her heart out on the line, to trace her fingertips over his stubbled jaw, and taste his lips.  Her near death experience on the Citadel hadn't quite taught her how short life could be, but the destruction of the Normandy sure had, and she wasn't going to waste the gift she had been given of more time with her favorite pilot.  
  
The destruction of the Normandy… she had been spaced!  This wasn't right, how could it be?  If she had been sucked into the void, how was she standing next to Joker?  Her seals had been blown apart by the last blast.  She struggled to regain consciousness, trying to grab hold of the mortal world, if she was still a part of it.  
  
"Shit, she's waking up!  Her vital signs are off the charts!  If we can't calm her down, she'll kill herself," one of the voices exclaimed.  Her eyes opened and she looked up, her vision fuzzy but still able to recognize and comprehend the medical equipment surrounding her.  
  
"Give her another dose, _**now**_ , Wilson!" another voice ordered, the owner of the voice coming into Kara's field of vision.  All she got was an impression of blue eyes in a porcelain face before her world started to go dark again.  
  
"That was close.  We almost lost her," the unknown male voice snuck into her head.  
  
"I told you your numbers were off.  Run them again," she heard as everything went black.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Shepard, you have to wake up!  The facility is under attack!"   
  
That voice again.  How she had begun to hate those voices.  They were so cold, so unfeeling, speaking only of numbers, treatments, or in medical terminology she couldn't understand.  
  
"Shepard!"  
  
Kara opened her eyes, moaning as the bright light of the medical bay splintered into them.  Flexing her jaw, she sat up slowly, feeling every muscle and bone in her body creak and pop from disuse.  Nothing felt atrophied, just stiff, thankfully.  
  
"There's a pistol and armor in the locker beside you.  Grab them!"  
  
She rolled her eyes, then stopped, narrowing them as she heard a barrage of gunfire outside one of the med bay windows.  Growling under her breath, her body tensed and ready to fight, she decided to listen to the voice for once and grabbed the necessary equipment out of the locker, muscle memory helping her when it came time to don the N7 suit she had found within.  
  
"Take cover, Shepard, now!  Someone's trying to kill you!"  
  
"When aren't they?" she muttered, then laughed as she looked the pistol over that she held in her hands.  
  
"Yeah, this'll do me some good, with no thermal clip installed.  What am I supposed to do, cloak myself then sneak up behind someone and pistol-whip them?"  
  
"You'll find thermal clips all over the place, Shepard," the voice responded, cutting out when an explosion rocketed the bay.  
  
"Lovely.  Someone's always trying to ruin my day by ending my life.  Didn't realize I was so popular," Kara sighed, slipping out of cover and finding a thermal clip near at hand.  Half listening to the voice speaking to her, she crept through the station, taking out mechs whenever she could, while hoping that the idiot who reprogrammed the security drones had them turn on him or her too.  Her patience had almost snapped by the time she ran into Jacob, reaching its breaking point when he finally admitted to her who funded the project that brought her back to life.  Her mood was that of a wounded bear when she finally came face to face with Miranda, her trigger finger itching as the woman gunned down the one named Wilson in cold blood.  
  
"Well gee, looks like my assumptions hold true after all.  Cerberus can't play nice in or out of its organization," she sniped, earning a raised brow from the brunette.  
  
"Jacob, really?  I should have known your conscience would get the better of you," Miranda sighed.  
  
"We can't get the Commander on our side if she's expecting a shot in the back," he replied.  
  
"Like I won't be watching for it even more now that I know who you work for?" Kara said.   "I didn't exactly keep it a secret that I was one of those responsible for shutting down several Cerberus facilities during my investigation of Saren."  
  
"That's neither here nor there.  We need to get you off this station now, Shepard, while there's still time.  I didn't spend two years of my life bringing you back just to see you die from Wilson's betrayal," Miranda stated.  
  
"Whatever.  Get me off of this rotting hulk of metal then, but you and your Illusive Man will be answering my questions," Kara muttered, her stride long and angry as she made her way toward the shuttle.  
  
As she settled back into the surprisingly plush seat, she surveyed the two sitting across from her.  
  
"By the way, does this thing have a head?  I gotta piss like nobody's business," she asked, deadpan, gauging their reactions.  She had to fight a quirk of the lips as Jacob fought, and lost, to hide his grin.  Miranda sighed and rolled her eyes as she looked at Kara.  
  
"Crude," she muttered, "And no, you'll have to hold it until we reach the station."  
  
"Well damn.  Maybe you should have spent some of your funds upgrading these things," she snickered, slumping down in the seat and stretching her legs out in front of her, mentally marking yet another score for herself as Miranda moved her legs away from Kara's.  
  
"You're purposely trying my patience, aren't you, Shepard?" Miranda asked, eyeing the other woman.  
  
"Just ask anyone, I'm always trying someone's patience, sometime, somewhere.  It's part of my charm," she smiled sweetly.  
  
"I'm sure," Miranda murmured, disengaging momentarily from the conversation to remove a data pad from her pack.  
  
"Before you speak to the Illusive Man, I need to run some tests."  
  
"Oh come on, Miranda, hasn't she been through enough?  From reports we've gathered, her personality sure hasn't changed, and I can vouch for her abilities myself.  The way she handled those mechs was impressive."  
  
"I need to find out for myself," the woman answered cooly, her blue eyes switching from Jacob to Kara.  
  
"Let's go back a bit.  You were part of a unit of Marines sent to Akuze to look for possible survivors of a team sent to investigate the planet.  At least fifty of your unit died to a thresher maw attack, leaving you the only survivor…"  
  
"No thanks to Cerberus," Kara cut in, the cybernetic implants causing her blue-grey eyes to momentarily glow an almost demonic red as anger coursed through her veins.  
  
"You want to know about that attack?  Look through your organization's fucking reports.  Nice way to study how thresher maws act by setting them on a group of Marines.  Yes, I survived, barely, by the seat of my pants.  You think I don't mourn every life lost that day?  I can't dwell on it though or it could screw me up and leave me unable to function.  It made me stronger, and my hatred for Cerberus to break past boundaries I never knew existed."  
  
"Alright, touchy subject I see.  Now let's try something a bit more recent.  According to our reports, during your time spent on Virmire, you left one of your own behind to die in the blast," Miranda began.  
  
"A Lieutenant Ashley Williams stayed behind to detonate the bomb that eventually leveled a cloning facility Saren had been running…" Jacob began, stopping as Kara's hand made a cutting motion in the air.  
  
"I'm well aware of what happened there.  Again, another death that I live with and mourn.  We weren't the best of friends, butted heads more often than not in regards to her inability to get along with the non-humans in my crew, but she was a fine soldier nonetheless.  It wasn't a decision I made lightly, but the facility needed to be destroyed."  
  
"We agree with your decision," he sighed, uncomfortable with all the poking him and Miranda were doing to the blond in front of him.  
  
"Recent events.  Two years ago you saved the Council during Sovereign's attack on the Citadel, sacrificing thousands of human lives.  As a way to honor those who had fallen, the Council agreed to add a human to their ranks, nominated by you.  Who did you choose?"  Miranda's eyes bored into Kara's.  
  
"Captain Anderson was the best choice.  He cared nothing for politics, only about what was right and just.  He didn't believe in ass kissing to get the job done, but wit and skill.  Being military, he was the perfect voice in matters of combat if we needed to rally together and go to war.  Not only that but he was a friend and someone I could trust.  Ambassador Udina is nothing but a little weasel who needed to be taken down a notch or two."  
  
"Satisfied, Miranda?  I think we've done enough," Jacob sighed.  
  
"There really are more tests I should run…"  
  
"Fuck your tests.  I feel fine," Kara grumbled, turning her head to stare out the window at the vastness of the space surrounding their small vessel.  Realizing she would receive no more cooperation from the woman, Miranda tucked the data pad away, the cabin becoming eerily silent during the rest of the trip.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kara fumed as her second meeting with the Illusive Man in less than a week left her with even more of a sour taste in her mouth.  After their first encounter, she thought he had enough sense not to screw with her, but to send her off on a wild goose chase to confirm information he already had made her clench her hands into fists.  Fighting the urge to hit something, she stood there and tried to use the calming breathing techniques that Dr. Chakwas had taught her when her anger threatened to overwhelm her.  How dare the man ignore the fact that she'd already had a damned good team and tell her that two of her friends weren't trustworthy.  Added to the mix was supposed to be some new flyboy who probably couldn't even make a ship turn as smoothly on a dime as Joker could, no matter the fact that this person was supposedly considered one of the best.  They'd probably crack the ship in half just sending the FTL drives into motion.  Sighing, the tension slowly draining away as the breathing exercise worked, she reached up to unwind her hair from its tight bun atop her head, letting the white blonde strands flow down to mid-back, her fingers stretching up to massage her scalp.  Her lips quirked into a half smile as she thought back to the only good thing that had happened while on the scouting mission to Freedom's Progress.  While her friend would be unable to join her in her mission to go after this new Collector threat, at least she'd been able to see Tali again.  
  
"Hey Commander, just like old times, huh?" Joker said, his voice soft, speaking up only when he saw she had finally relaxed.  
  
Kara spun on her heel and looked over at the man standing behind her, her mouth hanging open in shock.  
  
"No way!  You're with Cerberus now?"  
  
"After the Normandy was lost, the Alliance grounded me so hell yeah I joined Cerberus!  I can't believe you're alive, Commander.  I saw you get spaced!"  
  
"I got lucky… with a few strings attached," she sighed, hugging her arms around her middle as she followed Joker up the ramp and into the main room.  
  
"You're walking better.  No more crutches or braces I see," she commented, her eyes roving up to fixate on his backside and the way the muscles flexed beneath his uniform, unconsciously pulling her lower lip between her teeth as she admired the view.    
  
"Implants.  It's not a perfect fix but I won't shatter as easily now," he grinned, flushing a bit as he noticed where Kara was staring and the intent look on her face while doing so.  She raised her gaze to his, her cheeks soon mirroring his, then sighed, leaning her forehead on the glass window in front of them as she stared down at the darkness below.  
  
"I don't trust them.  Not after all they've done, not after all I've learned."  
  
"Hell, I don't trust anyone who makes more than me, but they're not all bad…" his voice quieted as he looked at her, "Saved your life… let me fly…"  
  
"Saved my life but at what cost?  I'm stuck working for them now.  And… and they told me that I was on that table for two years.  Two years, Joker!  I still can't wrap my head around that.  For me it's only been a week since we lost the Normandy but for everyone else…" her eyes bored into his, wide with panic.  Her body began to flicker in and out of view as her increased distressed state activated her emotional need to want to hide and tried to manifest itself by triggering her cloaking ability.  Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her.  Resting his cheek on the top of her head, he closed his eyes as he felt her embrace him in return.  
  
"You're real, Kara.  I'm real.  All of this is real.  I'll get you up to speed with what I can, alright?"   
  
"That's Commander Kara to you, flyboy," she murmured, relaxing as she calmed, the feel of her best friend's arms anchoring her to reality the stabilizer she needed.  
  
"Yes ma'am, Commander Kara, ma'am," he smirked, taking a step back and reaching up to readjust his cap.  
  
"Smart-ass," she grumbled, though her lips quirked as she looked at him.  
  
"That's Flight Lieutenant Smart-Ass to you, Commander Kara," he deadpanned, then grinned as she let loose with a gust bursting laugh.  
  
"Gods, I've missed you, Joker.  This new team I've been assigned to put together… how many of them do you think we'll send running home crying to mama within a week after they've dealt with the two of us?" she grinned, looking up at him.  
  
"If we get up to even half the shit the two of us pulled on the old Normandy, all of them," he chuckled.  
  
"As you like to say, it might not be all sunshine and bunnies, but at least it's a start."  
  
"Damn straight!  And here's a bit of whipped topping to go along with it.  They just told me about it last night," he smirked, motioning to the bay below them that was slowly becoming illuminated.  Kara stared at the ship that was revealed, her eyes flicking back and forth between it and the man beside her.  
  
"You're shitting me, right?"  
  
"Guess they've spent the last two years working on her as they have you," he answered.  
  
"She'll need a name."  
  
"I think I have the perfect one to commemorate all of our friends and comrades we lost before."  
  
She nodded, understanding his train of thought, her hand reaching out to grab his as she stared at the new Normandy gleaming under the dome lights.  His fingers laced with hers as they stood in silence, their thoughts on those lost but never forgotten.


	3. Back to the Normandy

Everything was bright, shiny, and new.  Too new.  The faces looking back at her as she made her way down the catwalk to the CIC were wrong.  The only thing that was right was Joker in the pilot's seat as she glanced behind her, past Miranda and Jacob, to see him watching her.  Offering him up a slight smile, she tuned back into her surroundings as they entered the CIC proper.  
  
"Our first order of business should be picking up Mordin Solus, the salarian scientist.  If the Collectors are using biological technology in their attacks, we'll need someone like him," Miranda stated as Kara studied the layout of the CIC.  Ignoring the woman for a moment, she walked around the room, stopping where Pressly's station would have been.  Even with the changes that had been made, including an elevator where the Ready Room should have been, she could picture the man so clearly.  They had butted heads over the increased number of non-humans in her crew, but they had respected each other.  Any time she left the ship, she knew it would be in good hands when he took over as acting XO.  
  
"Shepard, did you hear me?" Miranda asked, irritation lacing her tone.  
  
"Yes, I heard you.  I'm not deaf," Kara muttered as she turned around to face the pair.    
  
"As it happens, I agree with you.  We have no chance of succeeding against the Collectors without the proper countermeasures.  Before I have Joker set any specific course, though, I plan on going over the dossiers, or do you have a problem with that?" she glared at the brunette.  
  
"No, no problem, Shepard," Miranda put her hands up, palms outward, as she took a step back.  
  
"Acquiring Professor Solus seems like an ideal place to begin," a synthetic female voice said from a holo-globe.  
  
"What the fuck?" Kara narrowed her eyes at the hologram.  
  
"The crew call her EDI.  She's the ship's AI," Jacob answered.  
  
"Shit, just what I need.  And helmsmen don't like having someone taking control out from under them, _especially_ Joker.  This is going to cause more grief than it's worth."  
  
"I do not have access to the Normandy's controls.  I am in charge of the ship's defense systems.  Mr. Moreau's talents will not be wasted," the voice stated.  
  
"Are there any other nasty surprises I should watch out for?" Kara snarled the moment the holo-globe disappeared from the control bank.  
  
"That should be it, Commander," Jacob said, slowly backing away from her.  
  
"Jacob and I should return to our posts.  Find us if you have any questions," Miranda replied, though her body language expressly stated that she hoped Shepard wouldn't even think of approaching either one of them.  As the two made quick work of leaving her alone, Kara made her way around toward the platform access to the galaxy map.  
  
"Commander Shepard?"  
  
Sighing, Kara looked over at the redhead stationed next to the map.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'm Yeoman Kelly Chambers.  I'll be keeping you informed of any new messages…" she trailed off as her message center beeped, quickly checking it before looking back at Kara.  
  
"When you have a moment, Joker would like to see you in the cockpit," Kelly stated.  Blue-grey eyes bored into the younger woman's as the Commander stiffened slightly.  
  
"Are you saying that if any of the crew need to speak with me, they have to go through you first?  Not only that, but you think you have the right to poke around my messages just to let me know that I might have something waiting for me?  By the gods I really miss the VI from the old Normandy…"  
  
"N-No!  That's not it at all!  I'm also here to keep an eye on the crew and let you know if problems arise.  I have a degree in psychology and with what we're up against, it could snap the minds of those who might not be mentally strong enough to deal with the stress.  That's why I'm here.  That's why Cerberus picked me."  
  
"Two things, Kelly, two things.  One - if anyone in my crew, especially Joker, needs me then they can contact me personally.  They shouldn't feel like they have to leave a message or take a number.  It makes me look inaccessible and I've always had an open door policy with all of those who serve under me.  Two - I can read my own damned messages.  I don't need someone telling me to check them.  I did just fine on the old Normandy and I'm sure I haven't lost my touch.  Got me?" her posture was deceptively relaxed as she leaned against the railing leading up to the map, her arms folded over her chest, as she stared down the Yeoman.  
  
"Yes, Commander," the woman sighed.  
  
"One last thing.  Don't ever try to use that degree against me.  Even the Alliance shrinks learned that I don't share well with others," she smirked, straightening and dismissing the woman as she strode toward the cockpit.  The moment she entered Joker's domain, he swiveled around to face her, a big grin on his face.  
  
"Can you believe this, Commander?  It's my baby, better than new!  Fits like a glove!  And the seats… real leather!  The Alliance may set the standard for hardware, but this is civilian sector comfort by design."  
  
"The reproduction wasn't meant to be perfect though seamless improvements were made," EDI's voice filtered out from yet another holo-globe.  
  
"And there's the downside.  I liked the Normandy when she was beautiful and quiet.  Now she has this thing that's like ship cancer," Joker frowned.  
  
"And you wonder why I don't trust them," Kara chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, I know.  Hard to trust someone who uses an AI to spy on you.  But we're staying right?  I mean this seat is real leather!"  
  
"Glad to see you're keeping things in perspective, Joker," she grinned.  
  
"Uhhh, leather!" he smirked, swiveling back around to man the controls.  
  
"So where are we headed, Commander?" he asked, watching her from the corner of his eye as she stepped over to stare out of one of the windows into the vast expanse beyond.  
  
"I want to check my messages and look over the dossiers before I make any decisions."  
  
"Take your time.  I'm just glad to be back at the helm of my baby again, even if she's not as quiet as she used to be."  
  
"Seeing you up here is the only thing about this Normandy that feels right.  The faces are wrong, the layout is a bit off, and by the gods they have a fucking shrink acting as my assistant.  A shrink!  And just like I told her, if you need to get a hold of me for any reason, do it.  You don't need to go through Ms. Chambers," Kara sighed then turned to look at the man who'd always been by her side.  
  
"For any reason at all?  What if I wanted to ask you to pick me up a hamburger made from a real cow, with horseradish, on your next trip?  Or ask for a sane person to keep me company up here instead of that annoying AI?" he joked.  
  
"Even then, though the day you ask for company is the day I send a doctor up here to look you over."  
  
"Hey, there are some times I don't mind being around people, depending on who they are.  Now, since you seem so hell bent on hiding up here with me, why don't you take one of the spare terminals and do whatever you need to do so I don't feel like you're being all sneaky with watching me."  
  
"I don't need to sneak around to watch you, Joker," she said as she settled into one of the terminals behind him, "I mean, this is my ship so I can go where ever I please."  
  
"Just as long as you stay out of the men's head, especially when I'm in there," he laughed.  
  
"Damn, there goes my nefarious plan to get you alone in the men's restroom and have my way with you," she sighed dramatically, while her eyes scanned the numerous messages in front of her.  Joker turned his head and stared at her, frowning slightly at the flush he felt creeping up his neck toward his face.  As he opened his mouth to speak, she turned to him with a worried expression creasing her brow.  
  
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.  
  
"Anderson knows I'm alive and wants to see me," she answered.  He recognized and understood her concerns at seeing their old captain, the reason for them having to do with the symbol emblazoned on the Normandy and most of its crew.  
  
"You're afraid that he'll brand you a traitor the moment he realizes you're working with Cerberus, aren't you?"  
  
Kara nodded, the only outward sign of her nerves was the slight trembling of her hand as she ran it through her hair.  
  
"He knows you, Commander.  He knows you wouldn't be here unless it were for a good reason."  
  
"Yeah, I know, but I still feel like I'm kinda letting him down, y'know?"  
  
"I get ya.  He wasn't too happy with my decision, but he understood it."  
  
She nodded and stood, walking over to plant her backside up on EDI's terminal.  
  
"You know she won't be happy with getting that close of a view of your ass, Commander."  
  
"She can deal.  Do me a favor, will you, Joker?  Set a course for the Citadel.  That's our first stop.  When we're done there, then we can head out to Omega."  
  
He nodded and relaxed back against his chair as he input the coordinates.  
  
"If it were anyone else up here, watching me, I'd have kicked them out by now you know."  
  
"Mmhmm, but I'm too sweet and adorable to boot out of here."  
  
"I'll let you keep thinking that," he smirked, then grinned as he heard her answering laugh.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Gods, you'd think I wasn't even allowed to take a piss by myself," Kara muttered as she reboarded the ship, taking an immediate left to stand beside Joker as he pulled them out of port.  
  
"What's that, Commander?"  
  
"Miranda and Jacob wouldn't even let me see Anderson on my own.  What am I, some child who needs to be watched every hour of the day?"  
  
"I don't know what's worse - you being stuck with them or me having to deal with the _thing_.  So, how did it go?"  
  
"I ended up walking into a meeting with the Council…"  
  
"Oh shit."  
  
"If Anderson hadn't been there, oh shit would have been about right.  They were thinking of charging me with treason but we talked them out of it and I've been reinstated as a Spectre, as long as I stay out in the Terminus systems and keep my time with Cerberus short and sweet," she sighed.  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"Understandably, Anderson can't really offer any help or support because of who I'm working with.  Otherwise, I don't think I've had someone hug me so hard the entire time I've been alive.  He… he considers me a daughter…" Kara looked at Joker, the sheen in her eyes showing him how deeply Anderson's words had affected her.  
  
"Yeah, he said as much the day he came over to my apartment to snap me out of my funk," Joker murmured, turning to focus his attention back on the controls.  
  
"Your funk?  What do you mean?"  
  
"Can we talk about that later, Commander?  Pulling out of here isn't exactly an easy maneuver with the mass quantities of traffic, and you wanted to make headway toward Omega," he stated, his voice emotionless as he swallowed back the embarrassment of what he had become during his time without her.  
  
"Oh, ahhh, all right.  I'll umm… I'll be in my cabin going over the dossiers again…" she stuttered, backing away from his chair before turning around and striding quickly toward the elevator.  
  
"Could you have been anymore of an ass, Joker?" he bitched at himself, having heard the confusion in Kara's voice.  
  
"Your vitals aren't conducive to executing the commands required to take us out of port, Mr. Moreau.  Sensors indicate that your respiratory rate has increased, as well as your blood pressure.  It also seems as though a good portion of blood flow is pooling in your…"  
  
"Shut it, EDI!  I know damn well where my blood is pooling, thank you very much!  If you don't mind, I have a job I need to do," Joker snapped, maneuvering the Normandy through a hairpin curve to bring it into the required lane of traffic to exit the station.  
  
"My databanks also suggest that flowers are a good gift of apology from a man to a woman."  
  
"EDI, I'm going to permanently mute you if you don't shut up."  
  
"You do not have the proper access codes necessary to remove my speech capabilities, Mr. Moreau," EDI replied.  
  
"Fuck," he growled, slamming his finger down on the mute button prior to inputting the necessary information into the ship's navigation systems to set them on their course.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Joker shifted nervously from foot to foot as he waited for the elevator to ascend to the next level.  The moment the doors opened on the Commander's floor, he stepped out and, before he lost his nerve, pressed the speaker button near the entry console.  
  
"Hey, Commander, do you have a moment?"  
  
"C'mon in, Joker," her voice sounded tinny through the speaker.  As she spoke, the door split apart, allowing him entrance.  
  
"Make yourself comfortable.  I'll be back out in a second," she said through the bathroom door.  
  
His eyes took in the soothing blue glow from the massive fishtank on his left side, though out of curiosity he walked over to her desk to check on something that had caught his eye the moment he had entered her room.  His heart warmed as he saw the picture she had goaded him into letting her take of him, sitting where she could see it no matter which terminal she might be working from.  Not wanting to be caught snooping, he quickly hobbled down the stairs and tried to make himself as comfortable as possible on the couch in the corner.  
  
"Sorry for the wait.  You caught me as I was finishing up my shower," her voice held a slight tremor as she looked at him, her toes curling over the edge of the top stair.  She looked surprisingly vulnerable and he wasn't sure if it was because she wasn't in her usual civs, but instead was clad in a slightly baggy t-shirt and shorts, her hair in damp strands around her face.  Perhaps it had something to do with the way he spoke to her earlier.  He didn't know, but either way it made him feel a bit uncomfortable.  
  
"It's no problem, Commander," he said, turning to stare at the floor between his feet.  
  
"I, umm, got something for you while I was on the Citadel…"  
  
"You didn't have to do that."  
  
"I know, but I wanted to.  Here."  
  
He looked up and took the wrapped package, slowly removing the paper to unearth a model of the original Normandy.  
  
"I know how much she meant to you.  She meant just as much to me.  I know you like to work with models so I hope you like it."  
  
"Kara… Commander… I don't know what to say other than thank you," he looked at her while his hands touched the box with reverence.  She walked over to the couch and curled up beside him, tucking her legs up beneath her as she turned to look at him.  
  
"You're welcome," she smiled.  
  
"I wanted to apologize for earlier…" he began, stopping when she shook her head.  
  
"There's no need to apologize.  I was prying where I shouldn't have."  
  
"No… you should know.  When you died, everything just fell apart.  The Alliance didn't like all the non-humans in your crew and the next thing I knew, everyone was split up, they were debunking our fight against Sovereign as just another battle with the geth and not a reaper, I got grounded and Alenko got promoted.  My superiors kept coming up with different excuses about why they wouldn't let me fly and between that and losing you… I went to a bad place.  I stopped taking care of myself, started drinking… and Anderson came to see me after I'd missed a number of my treatments for the Vrolik's."  
  
"Oh, Joker…"  
  
"Anderson got me up off my ass and Cerberus offered me a chance to continue our fight because you made me believe in serving the greater good.  When I saw you lying on that table, I made myself a promise," he turned to look at her.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"One that I haven't kept until now.  I promised that I wouldn't keep what I felt hidden anymore…" his eyes locked on hers, "Even if you don't feel the same, and that's ok because I understand not everyone would want to be with someone who breaks easily, but I fell in love with you when we were on the old Normandy.  I knew I liked you before, but I realized I loved you when everyone thought that a chunk of Sovereign had killed you…"  
  
Kara placed a finger lightly over Joker's lips, making a soft shushing noise, to quiet his rambling.  Blue-grey met green as she leaned forward, removing her finger and replacing it with her mouth.  Her kiss was gentle, her eyes fluttering closed when she was rewarded by the tease of his tongue and light nips of his teeth as he got over his shock.  Pulling back before it became too intense, she smiled at him.  
  
"You were the constant in my life.  You understood me when no one else did.  You were in my dreams as I was coming back from death.  My heart broke when I believed I'd never have a chance to tell you, the moment the blast spun me away from the ship after I'd sent you on your way, that I loved you..."  
  
"What do we do now?"  
  
"I don't know.  I've never really been in a relationship before.  I mean yeah, I screwed around, but I'd never actually committed myself to someone, and then I enlisted and you know as well as I do how the Alliance feels about having relations with someone under your command.  This is Cerberus though and they don't have rules against fraternization."  
  
"Well at least I won't have to go through the awkward 'meet the parents' stage with you," Joker grinned.  Kara laughed, tucking her body up against his.  
  
"That's one good thing about growing up an orphan, I guess.  We can just play this by ear, y'know.  See where it goes?"  
  
"Works for me."  
  
"Me too."


	4. Garrus

Joker stared out into the vast expanse of space, keeping a partial eye on the control systems, as the Normandy traveled toward Omega.  Even though he'd held the box of the Normandy model in his hands, he still had a hard time wrapping his head around the events that happened afterward, half believing that everything after receiving the gift had been a dream.  A damned good dream, but a dream nonetheless.  On the off-chance that it had been real, he was already coming up with scenarios to try and talk Kara into giving the crew a day's leave back at the Citadel so he could take her out on a date.  Suddenly struck with nerves over the idea, he wiped his sweaty palms on the legs of his uniform.  
  
"Hey Joker," the voice of the woman he'd been thinking of snuck up behind him.  
  
"So, come here too often?" he joked through the sudden lump in his throat.  
  
"EDI probably thinks so," Kara grinned as she situated herself within Joker's field of vision.  Crossing her legs, she leaned back a bit, watching him as she pulled her hair back into its customary tight bun on the top of her head.  
  
"Yeah, well, try finding something that doesn't put a bug up her ass," he grumbled, turning away from Kara momentarily to input a few commands into the console.  
  
"My programming is error free.  There are no bugs in the system, nor do I have an ass for them to crawl up into, Mr. Moreau," the AI responded.  Joker rolled his eyes and silently mimicked her words to Kara as the AI spoke.  Shepard's blue-grey orbs sparkled with mischief as she watched him.  
  
"I'm sure I could find a way to add some for your pleasure, EDI," he said.  
  
"No sabotage, Joker," Kara snickered.  
  
"I know.  No breaking the boss' toys," he sighed.  
  
"How much longer to Omega?"  
  
"We just exited their relay right before you arrived so I'd say approximately… holy shit!  Talk about a natural defense system.  These meteors are going to be a bitch to navigate through."  
  
The both of them stared at the minefield of rock and other debris that surrounded the Omega station, Joker's fingers flying over the command console as he expertly and safely maneuvered them through to the docking station.  
  
"Guess that answers that question," Kara said.  
  
"I don't know what's worse - coming through here or knowing I have to fly us right back out of it when we're done here."  
  
"And knowing our luck, we'll probably end up having to return at least one more time before the Collectors are defeated."  
  
"Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine, Commander," he groaned at the thought.  
  
"You want a ray of sunshine?  Try this," she leaned down until her face was mere breaths from his, her eyes focused on his for a moment before she continued forward, her mouth pressing softly against his.  Their lips clung to each other, his hand sliding into her hair as he held her close.  Her eyes looked almost sad as she slowly pulled away.  
  
"It's nice to finally be able to do that.  I wish I didn't have to go because I'd love to just lose myself in you," her voice was soft as she spoke.  
  
"And here I'd almost convinced myself that what happened earlier was just a dream, because nothing goes right for me like that.  Glad to see I was wrong for once," he said, letting out a shuddering breath.  Her answering smile was almost shy as she reached out to touch his cheek.  He watched her as she walked away from him, his heart pounding from the effects of the kiss and the sight her body made in her N7 armor, the way it hugged her curves even with her weapons snug in their holsters.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The first thing that came to Kara's mind when she stepped foot onto the station was dingy.  The second was that she wanted a bath and she hadn't been outside the Normandy's airlock for more than a minute.  It definitely had the look and feel of a place that was home to mainly mercenaries and thugs - worn and run down.  Her hand rested lightly on her M-5 Phalanx just in case she needed to draw it quickly.  Her footfalls, along with Jacob and Miranda's, echoed lightly around them as they continued down the corridor.  Halfway down, they were stopped in their tracks by an energetic and highly nervous salarian.  
  
"Welcome to Omega.  You're new here, aren't you?  I can always tell.  Allow me to…" he began, stopping as a batarian approached the group.  
  
"Oh, hello Moklan!  I was just…"  
  
"Leave, Fargut, now," the batarian ordered.  
  
"Of course, Moklan!  Whatever she wants!" the salarian exclaimed, practically running away from the group.  
  
"Blasted scavengers.  Welcome to Omega… Shepard."  
  
"You know who I am?" Kara asked, a brow quirked in response, her fingers tightening on her pistol.  
  
"Of course.  We had you tagged the moment you entered the Terminus Systems.  You're not as subtle as you think.  Aria wants to know what brings a dead spectre to Omega.  I suggest you go to Afterlife now and present yourself."  
  
"Cut the attitude.  I'm not here to cause problems for Omega," she narrowed her eyes at Moklan, her body stiffening and her spine straightening even more than it had been.  
  
"Things explode around you, Shepard.  You can't blame Aria for keeping an eye on you.  Afterlife.  Now."  
  
"Gods, could he have that stick shoved any further up his ass?" she grumbled as the batarian stalked off.  
  
"From what I've heard of Aria T'Loak, we're lucky all she did was request our presence and not have us dragged in front of her," Miranda replied.  
  
"Lovely.  Let's get this show on the road then," she said, continuing down the long walkway.  
  
"I'm receiving quarantine warnings about the slums where Dr. Mordin Solus runs the clinic.  Anticipate resistance at the transport system.  I have also accessed messages between mercenary groups regarding plans to deal with Archangel.  There is a recruiting station at Afterlife that may have information on him," EDI's voice stated through the comm. system in Kara's helm.  
  
"Thanks, EDI," she sighed at the information, "This just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?  And here I was hoping to conserve ammo for once."   
  
Information in hand, the group made their way toward the entrance into Omega from the docking area, Kara stopping and holding up a hand as she watched the man at the end of the hallway trying to beat a batarian into submission.  As they got closer, she studied what little of the face she was able to see, comparing it to the photos submitted with the dossiers she had been going over.  
  
"Please, help me," the batarian groaned.  
  
"No one said you could talk, jackass," the man snarled as he kicked at the body on the floor.  
  
"You Zaeed Massani?"   
  
"Yeah, that's me.  I hear we have a galaxy to save," he replied, turning to look at her.  The face staring back at her was interesting, a scar covering the majority of the right side, the eye noticeably fake.  The symbol on his neck looked familiar and would bug her until she figured it out.  
  
"You know what's going down?"  
  
"I've done my homework.  Cerberus sent me all the information I needed to know."  
  
"What's a merc like you doing with an organization like Cerberus?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched the man in front of her.  
  
"Easy.  Cerberus is paying me a lot of money to help you on your mission.  That's the long and short."  
  
"Interesting.  Even for credits I couldn't imagine someone like you just up and volunteering for a suicide mission."  
  
"Most don't get an offer like the one your organization sent me.  It doesn't sound like good business but your Illusive Man can move a shit load of credits."  
  
"Huh.  Well I'll see you on the Normandy when you're finished dealing with your little problem, all right?" Kara said, looking between him and the batarian.  
  
"Did the Illusive Man tell you about our little arrangement?"  
  
"Nope, not a clue.  Your arrangement with him isn't the first he's neglected to include in the dossier.  I think that asshole likes keeping me off balance."  
  
"I picked up a job right before I signed on with Cerberus.  Thought you might be interested.  It concerns a Vido Santiago, head of the Blue Suns, runs the whole damned organization.  He recently captured an Eldfell-Ashland refinery on Zorya and is using the workers for slave labor.  The company wants it dealt with."  
  
"Sign me up, Zaeed.  We'll take care of it."  
  
"Good.  Get it out of the way so we can be big goddamn heroes.  Now I've gotta go turn this thing in before it starts to stink.  I'll be locked and loaded when you're ready to get some killing done," Zaeed nodded to her as he walked away, focusing his attention on the batarian that had tried to run.  
  
"I think I'm gonna like him," she grinned, a bit of a spring in her step as they headed toward Afterlife.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The noise was deafening.  The lighting was enough to give her the beginnings of a headache.  How anyone could enjoy a place like this was beyond her, but then again the only difference between Afterlife and Chora's Den, that she could see, was the size and its location.  So far, the only highlight of her time in the club was the one moment where Aria had seemed to enjoy Kara's smart assed remark as she told the batarian guard that if he continued to try and scan her, he'd soon be scanning the inside of his colon.  The woman was a bitch, no getting around it.  While Aria's rule might be to not fuck with her, if the asari made any move to try and start shit with Shepard, she'd soon learn that the same rule applied to the human woman as well.  
  
"Gods I'm glad to be out of that place," Kara groaned, holding her head, the moment they stepped out of the club.  
  
"A bit loud, wasn't it?" Jacob stated, shaking his head as he tried to get rid of the ringing in his ears due to the massive sound within the structure.  
  
"That's the understatement of the century," Kara retorted, a slight grin curving her lips as she looked at him.  
  
"So, what's the plan, Shepard?" Miranda turned to Kara.  
  
"I say we leave the doctor to assist with his patients a little while longer.  It sounds as if Archangel might not last too much longer in his position if we don't get a move on right now.  
  
"Agreed, Shepard.  Ugh, what is it with this place?  Every time I've had to visit Omega I feel as though I need a shower afterward to cleanse myself of its filth," the woman complained.  
  
"I plan on spending no less than an hour in mine once I get back to the ship.  Let's hit the markets quick before heading out in case there's something we can use.  Anything that can get us through this quickly and away from this dump would be worth the time and money spent," she replied, her steps swift as she took off in the direction the signs pointed.  The group spent as little time as they could, quickly picking up the couplings that the engineers requested as well as helping the quarian stuck on the station.  Kara still crowed over the upgrades to her sniper rifle, as well as the visor she was able to pick up.  
  
"I swear, this will not only help me with my aim, but it looks like a human version of the one my turian friend Garrus wears.  Damn, I miss that guy," she said as they traveled across the platform toward the transportation hub.  
  
"Good friend, I take it?" Jacob asked as they neared the driver.  
  
"Him, Tali, Wrex, and Joker were my best friends on the old Normandy.  The shit we used to get up to…" she chuckled, shaking her head.  She cut her laughter off immediately as their escort looked up at them.  
  
"We're on the team, told to talk to you," she said to the batarian.  
  
"Get in.  I'll fill you in on what I know on the way there," he replied.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So far, so good.  A datapad filled with information that Aria might find interesting had been snatched up, mechs had been reprogrammed, and Cathka had been stopped from continuing the repairs on the gunship that the Blue Suns had entertained on using against the turian vigilante.  She hadn't even met him yet, but already Kara felt a kinship with the one intent on putting down as many of the mercs as he could.  The freelancers that had been hired were surprisingly easy to take down, though perhaps it shouldn't surprise her since the recruiter didn't seem to care about the quality of the hirelings, only that they be used as a distraction, cannon fodder per se, while the 'real work' went on behind the scenes.  She frowned slightly at the shots she had taken from Archangel, already feeling the bruising under her skin from where the rounds had hit her armor.  Unsure of what they would find as they entered the room he had stationed himself in, she kept her gun at the ready.  
  
"Archangel?"  
  
She watched as he lined up a shot through the scope of his sniper rifle.  As soon as he had fired, after making sure he had hit the target, he turned toward her, his movements slow.  Removing his helmet, the two stared at each other in shock.  
  
"Shepard.  I thought you were dead!"  
  
"Garrus!  What are you doing here?" Kara asked, rushing up to her old friend, wrapping her arms around his waist as she gave him a tight hug.  
  
"Ok, bad idea, that.  Squashing my cheek against hard metal is not exactly the most comfortable way to greet an old friend," she grinned.  Garrus chuckled in response, his hand lifting to rest almost reverently on Kara's shoulder.  
  
"Just keeping my skills sharp and doing a little target practice," he quipped.  
  
"You ok?" she asked, stepping back so she could get a good look at him.  
  
"Been better.  It sure is good to see a friendly face.  Killing mercs is hard work, especially on my own."  
  
"What're you doing out here on Omega?"  
  
"I got fed up with all the bureaucratic crap on the Citadel.  Figured I could do more good on my own.  At least it's not hard to find criminals here.  All I have to do is point my gun and shoot."  
  
Kara sighed and shook her head, laughing softly.  
  
"How'd you manage to piss off every major merc organization in the Terminus Systems?"  
  
"It wasn't easy.  I _really_ had to work at it.  I'm amazed that they teamed up to fight me.  They really must hate me," Garrus snickered.  
  
"Since when did you start calling yourself Archangel?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.  
  
"It's a name that the locals gave me for my good deeds, and while I don't mind it, please, it's just Garrus to you," the turian replied, his demeanor almost shy.  
  
"You nailed me good a couple of times, by the way."  
  
"Concussive rounds only.  Didn't want the mercs to get suspicious."  
  
"Uh huh," she grinned up at him.  
  
"Shepard, if I wanted to do more than take down your shields, I'd have done it. Besides, you were taking your sweet time.  I needed to get you _moving_."  
  
"Commander, it looks as if more are coming this way.  We might want to stop the chatter and try to take them out," Jacob interrupted.  
  
"Let's have a look at what they're up to," Garrus said, pulling out his sniper rifle and scoping the area out.  
  
"Hmm, looks like they know their infiltration team failed.  Take a look.  Scouts, Eclipse I think."  
  
Kara took his rifle, her eyes zeroing in on the movement below through the scope.  Catching a LOKI mech in her sights, she pulled the trigger, blowing its head to bits.  
  
"More than scouts.  One less now though."  
  
"Indeed.  We'd better get ready.  I'll be fine up here.  You… you do what you do best."  
  
Kara grinned, ordering the other two down below to take out as many as they could as she took up a station near Garrus, pulling her own Incisor out and focusing on the mercs trying to move in.  The battle was short and sweet, even when the head of this band came through.  After an explosion rocked the area, and listening to a short explanation from Garrus, she left Jacob with her friend as her and Miranda took care of locking the base down tight.  As they returned to the upper levels, she quickly took out each of the Blood Pack mercs that had snuck in, one by one, until they were left with Garm.  Even with her enhanced tech abilities, thanks to Cerberus, beads of sweat still dotted her brow as she alternated between incinerating and shooting the beast of a krogan.  
  
"Damn, he regenerates health quick," she gasped, collapsing back against one of the couches.  
  
"I almost took him down once before until his vorcha showed up.  I've never seen a krogan regen as fast as he does.  Thanks for helping me take him down, Shepard."  
  
"Not a problem, Garrus.  You'd do the same for me if I were in a similar situation."  
  
"Damn straight."  
  
The group sat up straight as the whirring sound of rotors filled the air and the outline of a gunship came closer to the building.  
  
"Damnit, I thought I had taken that thing out.  Too bad they repaired it."  
  
"Not as well as they had planned.  I kept them from finishing."  
  
While she knew they had won the battle, her memories grew fuzzy the moment Tarak had gunned down Garrus.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kara paced the length of the board room, her arms wrapped tight around her waist as she waited for information in regards to Garrus's condition.  
  
"I know I always said that Garrus had a stick up his ass, but I also know how good of a friend he is to you so I hope he lives through this, Kara," Joker's voice filtered into the room.  
  
"Thanks, hon.  If he pulls through this, things might finally feel a bit more normal with two of my original crew back with me..." she trailed off as Jacob entered the room.  
  
"Swing up here when you find out how he's doing, all right?"  
  
"Will do, Joker."  
  
"Commander…"  
  
"Jacob…"  
  
"We've done what we could for Garrus but he took a bad hit.  The docs corrected with surgical procedures and some cybernetics.  Best we can tell, he'll have full functionality, but…" Jacob trailed off as the door slid open, Garrus peeking in to look at the two of them.  
  
"Shepard."  
  
"Tough son of a bitch, didn't think he'd be up yet," Jacob stared at the turian in surprise while Kara grinned at her friend.  
  
"Nobody would give me a mirror.  How bad does it look?"  
  
"Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly.  Slap some face paint on there and no one will ever notice," she smirked.  
  
"Ahh, don't make me laugh, damn it!  My face is barely holding together as it is," he chuckled, then shook his head.  "Some women like facial scars… mind you those women are usually krogan…" he trailed off as Jacob left the room.  
  
"Frankly, I'm more concerned about you.  I've heard bad things about Cerberus these past few years."  
  
Kara leaned her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands as she sighed.  Her shoulders slumped as much as they could in the position she stood and her voice was quiet as she replied.  
  
"That's why I'm glad you're here, Garrus.  If I'm walking into hell, I want someone I can trust at my side."  
  
"You do realize that your little plan has me walking into hell too?  Heh, just like old times."  
  
She turned her head to look at him, her smile a bit sad.  
  
"I miss those old times.  Nothing feels right anymore.  The crew is different, the ship is different, I've been resurrected to destroy these Collectors.  Having you here helps, and… well Joker and I are… together…"  
  
"About damned time, I say.  You two were tiptoeing around each other during the last few months after Sovereign was destroyed."  
  
"Gods, did everyone know about how we felt for each other?"  
  
"Pretty much… well all except for Alenko.  Then again the only thing he could see was you and was quite oblivious to the fact that dreams were as close to a relationship with you that he'd ever get.  Well I'd better get some rest and let this heal up a bit more.  I've… missed you, Shepard."  
  
"Get going, you stubborn bastard," she retorted, though her smile was warm as she looked at Garrus.  Groaning as he grinned back, he left the room and disappeared down the hall.  Stepping out of the room she slowly walked past the different control stations as she approached Joker's chair.  Having Garrus back made her happy but also brought home more strongly the changes that had happened since the original Normandy's demise two years prior.  The fact that life had gone on around her during that time, that she had experienced nothing other than dreams, depressed her more than she was willing to admit.  
  
"Kara?" Joker's voice was quiet as she approached him, sensing that something was off.  
  
"He'll be ok.  He'll regain full functionality but just have to live with scarring for the rest of his life."  
  
"That's not what's bothering you though."  
  
"It's finally hitting me how long I've been gone… how much has changed while I was out of it," she replied, her eyes focused on the floor as she took up her normal spot next to his chair.  Swiveling to face her, he maneuvered himself in the chair to pull her down in front of him before turning her face towards his and forcing her to look at him.  
  
"Yeah, a lot happened, but we're pulling back together.  You have Garrus on board again, and you have me. "  
  
"Thank the gods," she murmured, burying her face in the crook of his neck and wrapping her arms around him.  
  
"It might be early on in the mission, but what do you say to taking a day off, heading back to the Citadel, and letting me take you out to eat or something?"  
  
"Might not be a bad idea.  Give me something to focus on other than the shit going on in my head and allow Garrus more time to heal.  The salarian scientist will just have to wait," her voice was muffled against his skin.  Tucking her a bit closer to him, he reached around her to power up the Normandy and pull them out of dock.  Expertly avoiding the meteors, even with Kara in his arms, he set a course for the nearest relay, shooting them back toward Citadel space.  
  
"It takes skill to bank a ship with a woman in my arms.  Don't think it doesn't," he joked quietly as she calmed down.  
  
"Done this often?"  
  
"Nope, first time.  Easier banking in a vacuum, actually.  I have more use of my arms then."  
  
He let out a silent sigh of relief as a smile curved her lips, even with how slight it was, then leaned back in his chair and wrapped his arms around her as he let the ship follow the commands he had input into its system.  The two of them watched the stars fly past, the AI surprisingly silent for once.


	5. A Night Out on the Town

To say that the crew was ecstatic over the two day shore leave Kara had given them on the Citadel would be an understatement.  Miranda just shook her head at Shepard and went back to her office while it seemed that Jacob had a bit of an understanding for the reason behind it, even though nothing had ever been said to him.  The moment the ship had docked, the crew spilled out onto the bay, some wandering off in pairs, others in groups, all chatting happily.  
  
"You know, Commander, if you ever want to talk…" Kelly began as she stepped up beside Kara on her way out, stopping at the narrowing of eyes and the snarl that came from the blond.  
  
"Ahhh, right.  Never mind!" she chirped as she skipped off the platform, leaving Kara staring at her and baring her teeth.  
  
"You remind me of a female turian about to head off to war, Shepard," Garrus said, her eyes snapping up to his as he brought her out of her mood and instead reduced her to chuckles.  
  
"I don't know whether I should take that as a compliment or feel insulted, Vakarian," she grinned.  
  
"You're fierce, you don't take anyone else's shit, and your enemies quake in your path.  I'd consider it a compliment," he retorted.  "By the way, you're not doing all this for my benefit, are you?  Giving everyone shore leave to hide the fact that you're actually giving a friend more time to heal?"  
  
"It's a side benefit for you, but no, it's more to heal me," she replied as she looked up at him, her eyes haunted.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"It's been only a few weeks now since I woke up in the Cerberus facility and told I was dead for two years.  Two years, Garrus!  I look around me and so much has changed, friends moved on with their lives, and the only reason I was brought back was to continue fighting the good fight against the Reapers.  Everyone on the old Normandy was family but here… It's a lot to take in and there are times I just… I can't handle it.  Joker suggested the shore leave hoping that having a few days without all this hanging over my head might help me clear it and to give us some time to spend together and learn how to be a couple."  
  
"I see.  Well if you ever need someone to talk to you know where to find me."  
  
"Thanks Garrus, I appreciate it."  
  
"You're family to me too, Shepard.  Losing you broke something in all of us, so you're not alone in feeling a bit lost."  
  
He patted her back as he headed back towards the main battery, leaving her standing alone in the CIC surrounded by the lonely beeping of the panels and the glow of the holo-Normandy.  Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes as she looked around, replacing the new faces with old in the vacant chairs.  Joker found her curled up beneath the panel that would have been Pressly's, had it been the SR-1, her knees hugged tight to her chest and her eyes clamped tightly shut.  With some difficulty he bent over and wiped his thumb lightly over the wetness covering her cheeks.  
  
"Hey," he called out to her, his voice gentle.  
  
"Am I only good at either scaring the piss out of people or fighting off big baddies?  Is that the only reason I was rebuilt?  Did they not care about me, but only about what I could do?" her voice was choked with tears.    
  
"If they did, why me?  Ash is dead and so's Pressly.  My crew on Akuze was destroyed, thousands died here because of my decision to save the Council, and I couldn't even save myself on the SR-1.  All I do is get people killed," she peered up at him from beneath the console, her eyes threatening to fill again.  
  
"You've saved so many lives, Kara.  The Illusive Man might see you as a tool to be used, but I see the person you are.  Garrus is here for you, too.  We care about you.  Hell, I fell in love with you, remember?" he said, holding his hand out to her.  
  
"Yeah, you're right," she sniffled, taking his hand as she crawled out from beneath the station she still considered the old navigator's, and stood.  The moment she was on her feet, he pulled her close and tucked her head under his chin as he held her, the two of them just basking in the presence of the other.  
  
"What a way to start our time together, huh?  You finding me having a mental breakdown in the CIC," she laughed a bit tearily.  
  
"You're human and you've been through a lot these past few weeks.  They expected you to hit the ground running the moment you woke up.  If anyone needed to break down, it's you," he replied, his hands rubbing slow circles over her back.  
  
"Thank you.  Now I, ahh, should probably think about packing and getting ready for our date and time away from the ship…"  
  
"I left a box of things in your room.  It's some stuff Anderson and I collected from your old apartment after everything happened… I held onto them," he blushed as she pulled back to look at him.  
  
"I'm glad you did, whatever they are," she murmured, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "Not exactly sure what I should wear or pack, by the way."  
  
"You should find some stuff in the box.  It'll work for where we're going."  
  
Nodding, she tightened her hold momentarily before slipping out of his embrace to head to her cabin.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kara turned around and looked at herself in the mirror, reveling in the softness of her old and worn pair of jeans, washed to the point that they were a light blue, almost white.  The knees had given way and were nothing but frayed holes.  Paired with her boots and a black t-shirt that read "Genius by Birth, Slacker by Choice," she grinned at herself and felt some of the stress and tension leak away.  She knew the people on the station would more than likely stare at her due to her attire, blue jeans being a rare and expensive find, but she was comfortable and Joker said that she would be fine for where ever they were going.  Grabbing a duffel, she shoved her other pair along with basic essentials and another t-shirt into its deep expanse.  Looking around her room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she holstered her Phalanx against her hip and made her way back down to the CIC floor.  
  
Joker watched her as she approached, his hands itching to grab onto the curves displayed by the snug pair of worn jeans Kara was wearing.  The t-shirt gave him small glimpses of the flat expanse of her abdomen as she moved, exposing the honey toned skin.  
  
"You're drooling, Joker," she grinned, reaching out to teasingly wipe at the corner of his mouth with the pad of her thumb.  Rolling his eyes, a smirk on his lips, he reached over to unwind her hair, letting the white-blond strands flow free.  
  
"That's better.  Now I can do this…" he said, placing a matching SR2 ball cap on her head.  
  
"Never thought you'd be the type to go for matching apparel," she chuckled watching him curiously as he took her bag from her, then held out his free hand for her to take.  Catching her look, he grinned, ushering her out of the Normandy.  
  
"Hey, mom taught me how to be a gentleman.  I just never wanted to put any of my training to use until now.  What do you have in this thing, by the way?  Feather pillows?  I was always told women over packed their shit but I'm wondering if you packed enough."  
  
"I learned how to travel light when I was a kid," she replied and he groaned, smacking his palm against his forehead.  
  
"Gosh, what an idiot I am.  Sorry about that."  
  
"Don't ever feel like you have to walk on eggshells around me, Jeff.  This won't go far if we come across topics we're afraid to discuss with the other," she sighed, her eyes and voice serious.  
  
"Yeah, you're right.  I'm just kind of new to this whole relationship thing.  Every time I tried to be with someone, it always had a bad ending, and usually because the woman was afraid of breaking me."  
  
"And I grew up bouncing from home to home, never having stability, and sometimes dealing with foster fathers who'd rather try and use me for their own enjoyment.  Between that and the shit I did with the Reds, you're the first person I haven't shied away from being in a relationship with."  
  
His cheeks flushed a becoming shade of pink as they reached the rapid transit station.  She grinned and leaned up to kiss his cheek quickly as he, with fumbling fingers, pressed in the code for their destination.  She curled up beside him as the cab whizzed through the air, watching the buildings as they sped by.  Her eyes were curious as they landed on him when the cab let them off in front of an apartment building.  
  
"Anderson kept my apartment for me so I'd always have a place to come back to if I needed it.  I, um, figured we could stay here overnight instead of heading back to the ship, so we could truly get away, y'know?  I can sleep on the couch and let you have my room, or if you're not comfortable with this we can always go back to the ship when we're finished eating," he babbled, earning a soft laugh from the woman beside him.  
  
"I'm fine with this arrangement, Joker."  
  
"Oh, good.  I just hope the cleaning service remembered to sweep and dust the place since I haven't been there for a while.  At least I got my shit straight before I left, so it's not the dump it had been."  
  
Not saying a word, Kara reached over and took his hand in hers, squeezing gently.  Their eyes met and they smiled until she started giggling as her stomach chose that moment to growl.  
  
"I think that's our cue to drop my stuff off at your loft and then head out for some food, don't you?"   
  
"I think so," he grinned.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
To most, the hole in the wall restaurant would be considered a dive.  It was situated in an out of the way location and the majority of its few customers wouldn't exactly be people that most would feel comfortable around.  It was clean, though, and the owner was a round, jolly man who shouted in delight the moment he saw Joker walking through the door.  His eyes became as round as saucers as he recognized Kara from holo vids as the one who had defeated Saren and saved the Citadel.  She grinned as the man hugged her tight, patting his back as he wept on her shoulder and thanked her for all she had done.  Joker smirked at her from over the man's shoulder.  
  
"It is such an honor to have you in my restaurant!  Mi bella, but you are gorgeous!  You have found yourself a strong, beautiful woman, Joker!" the man exclaimed as he ushered them to a table.  
  
"I am Pasquale, the owner of this establishment and I shall serve you personally.  Myself and the other chefs will create a meal that will make you moan with each bite.  I have a bottle of a rare vintage red that I had been saving for a special occasion that you shall have as well!" he said, then scurried back to the kitchen, his smile wide.  
  
"Well…" Kara began then trailed off as laughter overcame her.  
  
"You sure made an impression," Joker grinned.  
  
"I think he broke a rib," she giggled.  
  
"Aww, guess I'll have to tend to you when we get back to my apartment."  
  
"I guess you will," she grinned, the look in her eyes anything but innocent.  He shifted a bit uncomfortably in his seat as his pants began to feel a bit tight at the look she was giving him.  The sound of heavy footsteps broke their gaze and Kara smiled up at the man as he presented the bottle of wine, the waiter behind him brandishing two glasses.  At the owner's nod, the waiter set down the glasses then took a step back as the bottle was uncorked and a small bit of wine poured into each glass for the two to sample.  With it having been her one and only vice when she was with the Reds, Kara knew more about wine than others would have expected and brought the glass to her nose to sniff the bouquet.  After a moment, she swirled the wine and took a small taste, letting it linger on her tongue for her to catch every nuance of the liquid, her eyes closing in pleasure as she swallowed.  
  
"That is divine," she murmured, Pasquale's eyes lighting up as he then filled both glasses and set the bottle on the table, off to the side yet still between them.  
  
"Wine connoisseur?" Joker asked.  
  
"My weakness along with mint chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, beer, Italian food, and pizza," she grinned.  
  
"I already knew of your weakness for Italian food.  I found this place after I was grounded and it made me think of you so I became a regular until I ended up becoming a recluse…"  
  
Her eyes softened and she reached out to take his hand in hers, squeezing it gently.  
  
"Joker, you were always a recluse," she teased, earning a smile from him in response.  He took their entwined hands and brought her knuckles to his lips, brushing them lightly over her skin.  Her eyes darkened in response, the color making him think of dusky blue thunderheads.  He flicked his tongue over a knuckle, tasting her, before setting their hands back down on the table.  She let out a shuddering breath and unconsciously pulled her lower lip in between her teeth as she tried to control her body's response.  She was saved from embarrassing herself as the owner brought out two plates of antipasto salad.  
  
As she munched thoughtfully on her salad, Kara looked at the man sitting across from her.  
  
"Question for you."  
  
" 'Sup?"  
  
"Why me?  Especially since I distinctly remember you saying something on the SR-1, when you thought I returned Kaidan's feelings, that you'd never date crew cuz it could get messy."  
  
"Yeah, I said that, didn't I?  At the time, seeing the way he watched you just made something tighten in my chest, something I didn't want to acknowledge.  And I'd dated someone on another ship I'd been on and damn did it get awkward when she decided she wanted, as she put it, a 'real man instead of a cripple'…" he stopped when he saw anger tighten Kara's face.  
  
"Bitch," she muttered.  
  
"Yeah.  She tried to get into my pants after I got back to the Citadel, figuring that being the pilot who led the air charge to take down Sovereign made me worthy enough actually be with.  She wasn't happy when I told her to find someone who cared," he stopped to take a bite of food, watching Kara and feeling all warm and fuzzy inside at her reactions.  
  
"But then, even when I realized you weren't interested in Alenko, that thing with the other woman kept popping into my head and the thought that you might push me away, not wanting to be with someone you'd have to be careful with… well it kept me from saying anything.  I also didn't want to be part of the line of men who were trying to catch your notice either, so I figured being your best friend was better than nothing."  
  
"Ok, that explains why you didn't approach me, though damnit I wish you had.  You're my best friend and more.  I couldn't have done half the shit I did without knowing that you had my back either when I was on a mission or when I needed a shoulder after coming back on board.  But why me?"  
  
"You didn't treat me differently after you learned about my Vrolik's.  You're strong in your beliefs, never backing down when shit got tough.  You kept going.  You cared about everyone on your team, respected them even if they disagreed with you more than they agreed.  We were yours and we knew that you'd crack heads open if anyone tried to harm anyone on your team.  You made us into a family.  Who wouldn't love someone who would give their life for their crew, who had died trying to save them?  That's why you, Kara."  
  
Her eyes welled with tears as he spoke and she shoved her knuckles between her teeth, biting down, to keep from openly crying at the table.  As a tear spilled free, he reached out to brush it away.  
  
"Thank you," she said, her voice hoarse from the effort she exerted to keep the rest of the tears at bay.  She was unable to look at Pasquale as he approached the table to remove their salad plates and present the large squares of pancetta and alfredo lasagna, her eyes fixated on Joker instead.  
  
"Now it's my turn to ask why me," he said.  Before she answered, Kara took a bite of the newest creation, doing exactly as Pasquale had said he'd make them do, and moaned at the flavors that burst on her tongue.  Joker shuddered at the sound and quickly stuffed his own face, almost letting out a moan of his own.  
  
"You were always there for me.  You somehow could tell when I'd had a bad day and needed a shoulder.  You're a smart-ass and could make me laugh when otherwise I'd want to scream and break shit.  You cared just as much about the people on that ship as I did, even if you didn't show it, watching out for us whether we were in the air or groundside.  You even risked your own life to try and maneuver a dying ship away from yet another attack to allow the escape pods a chance to get to safety.  Why not you?"  
  
He stopped midway through his lasagna as she finished speaking, his chest tightening with the emotions her words caused in him.  What touched him most was her lack of commenting on how strong he was to work through his disease to become the man he was today, which other women had used on him.  
  
"You're the first man I've truly wanted to be with, the only man I've ever loved," she whispered, soft enough that he almost didn't catch it.  
  
The rest of the main course was finished in silence, both of them too full of emotion to be able to say a word.  Wine glasses were emptied and the lasagna plates exchanged for empty ones as a plate of powdered sugar dusted cannolis was set in the middle.  
  
"Gods those look incredible," Kara murmured, reaching out to grab one before Joker slapped her hand away.  She yanked it back, raising a brow as she looked at him.  Instead of answering, he picked one up and held it out to her.  Catching on, she leaned forward, her smile mischievous as she first licked at the filling within before sucking an inch of the pastry into her mouth then biting down to truly experience the dessert.  He sucked in a breath at her actions.  
  
"I don't know about you, but how about we see if we can have these and the wine packed up to take back with us?" he asked.  
  
"You read my mind," she purred.    
  
Joker waved Pasquale over, the older man laughing knowingly as he patted the pilot on the shoulder and nodded at the request.  He fidgeted in his chair while they waited, darting looks over at Kara as nerves hit him full force with what would happen once they got back to his apartment.  Calming somewhat at the understanding look in her eyes, he paid the owner of the restaurant, giving him a hefty tip, as he took the bag with their goods and ushered Kara out of the restaurant.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
His movements were slow and awkward as he walked to the kitchen to place the dessert and wine in the cooling unit, his nerves having exploded again the moment they entered his apartment.  He stood there, his forehead against the hard shell of the unit, and tried to calm himself down.  A gentle hand took the bag from his and he took a step back as she put their things away, shoving his own hands into the pockets of his jeans to hide their trembling.  Her arms encircled his waist as she pressed herself up against him, her lips reaching for his, as she kissed him softly, then pulled back to look at him.  
  
"I'm nervous too.  I almost feel like a virgin again, because this will be the first time I've given all of myself to someone," her voice was soft, a fine tremor weaving through it.  At her admission, he wrapped an arm around her waist and slid a hand over her cheek and into her hair as he leaned down to capture her lips with his, teasing them with tongue and teeth.  He felt the answering shiver course through her body and moaned as she opened up to his kiss, entwining her tongue with his.  
  
Warm skin that felt like satin slid under his palm as his hand found its way up underneath her shirt, pressing her body closer against him.  As if in a slow dance, the two made their way into his room,  neither willing to let go of the other.  Kara gasped as she felt him deftly unclasp her bra one-handed, his tongue diving in further into her open mouth, her hands releasing him long enough to remove the offending garment from her body.  His hands soon replaced the cloth, gentle yet teasing as they massaged her breasts, thumbs flicking over the tight buds of her nipples.  She moaned at the contact of his skin against hers and yanked at his shirt, pulling it out from where it was tucked into his jeans, needing to touch him too.    
  
Releasing her, Joker took a step back to pull his shirt up and over his head, knocking his cap off in the process, his eyes fixated on her as she did the same.  His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her partially nude body, the muscles that flexed in her arms and slightly defined her abdomen, proving her strength wasn't just in spirit, but physical as well.  
  
"Gods, you're ripped," he heard her whisper moments before he felt her hands sliding up his chest to his shoulders, then pressing her body tight against his, so she could devour his mouth again while enjoying the feel of skin against skin.  He backed her up against the bed until the edge hit the back of her knees and caused her to tumble onto it, breaking her hold of him.  Pulling a leg up, he unlaced her boot and tugged it off, then did the same to the other one, all the while she unfastened her jeans and began pushing them down her waist, leaving her in a lacy piece of something that almost made his eyes bug out of his head.  While he was distracted, she stood and hopped out of her jeans, her hands reaching out to work on his and push them down his hips.  Her eyes widened as she saw he was bare underneath and he grinned as he caught her stare, toeing off his shoes before stepping out of his jeans.  
  
Kara crawled backwards on the bed until her head hit the pillows, watching Joker as he followed her, reminding her a bit of the vids she'd seen of predatory cats.  Her heart hammered in her chest as she watched the surprising play of muscles sliding and bunching under his skin, giving promise to the strength he'd gained when he'd received the implants in his legs.  Her eyes closed on a sigh as she felt his fingers lightly tease beneath the edge of her panties, her hips bucking up involuntarily the closer they got to her center.  He let out a moan of his own as he felt how wet she was the moment he'd caressed her.  Sinking a finger into her, he shuddered as she tightened around him and he heard how broken her breathing had become.  
  
"More," she moaned, her legs opening wider for him.  He inserted a second finger, the sounds she was making causing beads of sweat to break out on his forehead as he fought to keep from taking her like a madman.  He brushed his thumb against the bud at the juncture of her thighs, her keening moan sending a shiver rippling through his body as she thrashed and bucked up against his hand.  He pressed down a bit more firmly, rubbing it, as he thrust his fingers in and out of her.  The emotions streaking across her face and the way she was reacting to his touch killed what was left of the nerves inside him.  The moment the tips of his fingers hit the bundle of nerves inside her, she cried out, flying apart against him.  
  
"Gods…" she whimpered, her hips still rolling against his hand.  
  
"You're so beautiful," he murmured.  Her eyes opened and she looked up at him, her smile a bit crooked.  Latching her thumbs beneath her panties she slid them off, tightening herself around his fingers any time he tried to remove them.  
  
"You sure learned how to press buttons quite well, flyboy," she gasped as he flicked his thumb against her clit again.  
  
"Looks like my training came in handy," he retorted, grinning down at her.  
  
"Handy… yes you are… and what wonderful hands to be 'handy' with," she chuckled, reaching up to pull him down for a hungry kiss.  As his weight settled down on top of her, she reached down and gently took him in hand, guiding him into her.  His moan vibrated deep in his chest as he felt her surround him.  Her mouth trailed kisses over his cheeks then along and under his jaw, settling in the crook of his neck the moment he found his rhythm.  His hands gripped her shoulders from beneath, using her for leverage as he pushed and pulled himself in and out of her body, his breathing ragged as she clung to him.  Her whimpers and the way her body tightened around him almost caused him to lose it right then.  
  
"Joker," she whispered brokenly as her body crashed around his, her hands gripping him as tight as she dared, tears spilling warmly down her cheeks and against his neck.  He shuddered above her, his body reacting instinctively as he thrust deep inside her one last time, spilling himself within.  
  
"Kara," he murmured, resting the full weight of his body against hers as he soaked up her warmth and buried his face into her hair.  
  
"That was worth waiting for," she said, her hands running lightly up and down his back.  
  
"Does this mean I don't have to sleep on the couch tonight?" he pulled back to look at her, grinning.  
  
"Gods," she laughed, smacking him lightly on his shoulder.  "I should make you just for asking."  
  
"But you won't because you know I'm the only one who can handle your ship.  You're too much for an average pilot to handle, but lucky for you, I'm anything but average," he smirked.  Her body shook with the force of her laughter as she lay beneath him. Rolling them both over, she leaned over him to give him a quick kiss, her shoulders still trembling as her eyes sparkled with mirth.  
  
"You're incorrigible, y'know that?" she grinned.  
  
"You wouldn't want anything else.  Put your body in my hands and I'll make it dance for you," he waggled his brows at her.  
  
"You just did.  Best damned helmsman in the fleet for sure," she shivered as the afterglow still held her in check, tucking her body up against his, her cheek resting just above his heart.  He chuckled softly, then sighed as he ran his fingers through her hair.  
  
"Thank you… for this, for loving me, for everything," he whispered.  
  
"Thank you for this, for loving me, for always being there… for everything," she whispered back, her eyes closing at the soothing feel of his touch.  He watched her as she drifted off to sleep, smiling as something ended right for a change.


	6. The 'Cock'pit

Kara shot awake as the bed vibrated beneath her, rolling over and almost getting smacked in the face by a flailing hand as Joker thrashed around while in the grips of a nightmare.  Grabbing his wrists to keep him from harming either one of them, she sat there, panicked, unsure of what to do to calm him down.  
  
"Commander!  Shepard!  Hang on and don't let go!  Don't let go!" his voice sobbed out as he struggled to reach outside of the escape pod toward Kara in his dream.  
  
Tears sprang to her eyes as she realized what it was that he was dreaming about.  Pinning his hands above his head, she straddled him to hold him place as she leaned down until her mouth was mere inches from his ear.  
  
"Joker, wake up," she began, wincing as his voice burst in her ears.  
  
"No!  Kara, no!  Don't let… oh gods…" his breath hitched as tears began streaming down his cheeks.  
  
"Flight Lieutenant Moreau, open your eyes," she barked, inwardly grimacing at having to use her 'commander' voice on him.  His eyes flew open and he looked at her blindly, calming as he came out of the nightmare and began to recognize his surroundings and the woman sitting on top of him.  
  
"Oh, hey, ahhh… didn't know you were into the whole domination thing, Commander," he joked, though his eyes focused over her shoulder as he remembered perfectly the nightmare she had pulled him out of.  
  
"Joker…" she sighed, releasing his wrists as she wiped away the trail of tears on his cheeks.  
  
"I… damnit if it weren't for me you wouldn't have been spaced.  You wouldn't be stuck with Cerberus paying your wages.  It's… it's my fault you died…" he shuddered underneath her.  
  
"My gods, have you been blaming yourself this entire time?" she asked, her fingers tracing light patterns over his cheeks.  
  
"Why shouldn't I?  If I hadn't been such a stubborn ass, we both would have made it to the pod in time to get out."  
  
"Have you ever stopped to think of how many lives might have been lost if you hadn't kept pushing the Normandy past her limits, going through what evasive maneuvers she would respond to?  That gave the other pods the time to eject and get to safety away from the Collector ship.  You put your life on the line to try and save us.  Talk about amazing courage that still blows my mind…"  
  
"But… but…"   
  
"No buts, Joker.  You're not to blame for what happened.  If you need to lay the blame on anyone, it's the Collectors.  Besides, if I'd never gotten spaced and brought back to life, how long do you think it would have taken for us to finally admit to each other how we felt?"  
  
Sighing, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down against him, needing to hold her.  
  
"I love you, Kara," he pressed a kiss against her brow as she snuggled up against him.  
  
"I love you too, Jeff," she murmured, tucking her head under his chin as they both fell back asleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"What the fuck?" Joker grumbled, hearing the incessant chiming of the doorbell.  Rolling over, he glared at the clock as it stated it was 0630 in the morning.  Kara sat up, her hair in disarray as she groused under her breath at the rude awakening, her eyes blurry with sleep.  Hobbling over to the dresser, he grabbed a pair of pajama pants and made his way to the door, a scowl firmly in place.  
  
"What the… Lieutenant Morris?" he sighed as he looked at the brunette on the other side of the door.  Pushing it open further, the woman stepped inside the apartment then wrapped her arms around Joker.  
  
"Get your hands off me!  I told you the last time you came by here that I wasn't interested," he snapped, trying to push her off of him.  
  
"I heard you were back on the Citadel and I just had to see you.  Mmmm, you're looking quite gorgeous, and I see you're walking on your own steam now.  What do you say the two of us head into your room and have some fun?" Morris purred, ignoring Joker's attempts to throw her off.  
  
"Shit, you just don't get it, do you?  I'M. NOT. INTERESTED!" he growled, shoving her off of him and stumbling back a few steps himself.  
  
"Oh don't play coy with me, Joker.  Now that you can handle a real woman, I'm here and willing.  Besides, you wanted this when we were assigned together.  I know what I said before stung your pride a bit, but look at you now.  You've become stronger for it."  
  
"He's stronger, but not because of your stupidity.  Besides, he has a real woman so he wouldn't need a pale imitation," Kara said, striding out of the bedroom in one of his t-shirts.  His heart leapt in his chest at the sight of her in his old and worn grey flight school shirt that came to the tops of her thighs, hair still tangled around her face, and eyes that had turned the color of ice.  
  
"Who's the tart?" Morris snarled.  
  
"Kara Shepard, Commander of the Normandy and first human Spectre, at your service," Kara's voice was snide.  
  
"You… what?!  Oh shit…" the brunette began to back away slowly.  
  
"I suggest, the next time my fiancé says no, you listen.  Actually, here's an idea.  Leave him alone and don't ever think about contacting him again.  Got it?" her smile was feral as she looked at Morris.  The other woman's look became calculating and a smirk curved her lips.  
  
"For someone supposedly engaged, where's the ring?"  
  
"We're picking it out today.  Not much in the way of jewelry stores out in the Terminus Systems, y'know, and this is the first time in a few months we've had a chance to actually make it to the Citadel," Kara gave Morris a pitying look.  
  
"I… I think I'm going to go now," Morris stuttered then quickly let herself out of Joker's apartment.  Joker and Kara looked at each other for a moment before dissolving into laughter, the two of them propping each other up.  
  
"I'm so sorry about that," he said in between huffs of laughter.  
  
"Talk about some fucking nerve," Kara giggled.  
  
"You know she's probably going to have someone keeping an eye out to see if we actually do visit the jewelry stores."  
  
"Oh shit… damn me and my big mouth.  She just looked like someone who wouldn't back down if I'd just said I was your girlfriend and still would have tried her hand at you," she sighed.  
  
"Hey, I'm not complaining.  Now how about I go cook my 'real woman' some breakfast and then we head back to the room so I can show you how much stronger I've become," he wiggled his brows at her.  
  
"Sounds like a plan," she grinned, yelping as he smacked her ass on his way to the kitchen.  "Joker!"  
  
"Whaaaaat?" his voice echoed from the small confines of the kitchen, his mind working furiously over how right it sounded when Kara called him her fiancé.  Smiling to himself, he began to formulate a plan while gathering ingredients for his omelet specialty.   
  
"Nothing," she chuckled, rubbing where he had smacked.  
  
"That's what I thought."  
  
"Remind me why I love you again?"  
  
"Because I'm the best damned pilot you'll ever have to fly your ship, baby," grinning as her laughter echoed throughout the apartment.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Joker almost shot out of his chair as Kara reboarded the Normandy, the look of dazed shock on her face as she turned to face him pressing every concern button in his body.  He watched her carefully as she approached him, waiting impatiently for her to say something.  
  
"By the gods…" she said, wide eyed, as she looked at him.  
  
"What?  What's wrong?" he asked, fighting to not grab at her hands.  
  
"Hamster.  On coffee.  Like high octane coffee.  Holy shit…"  
  
Joker raised a brow at her, confusion replacing concern.  
  
"What the hell?"  
  
"That salarian scientist we recruited.  Dr. Mordin Solus.  He's like a fucking hamster on stims.  Aria wasn't kidding when she said to not get him talking.  He wouldn't shut up and he talks so fast…"  
  
Relief washed through his system and he began laughing, earning a stern look from her which made him double over.  
  
"Oh man, you had me.  I was worried something had happened to you and instead you're just going on about an over-excitable salarian.  Don't do that to me!  You know how weak I am," he batted his eyelashes at her.  
  
"According to your vitals, Mr. Moreau, you are the picture of perfect health.  Commander Shepard's,  however, are elevated so I suggest you stop baiting her," EDI interjected.  
  
"Oh shit," Joker winced, finally catching notice of Kara's pallor, "You okay?"  
  
"Yeah, fine.  Hungry as hell because I forgot to eat before heading out but nauseous thanks to the smell of burning bodies in the slums.  I think I'm just going to lay down until the nausea goes away," she said, blinking slowly and walking away in a daze as she was still in shock from her earlier encounter with Mordin.  Joker watched her with some concern, waiting just long enough until he knew she would be in the loft before pushing himself out of his chair and hobbling over to Hadley.  
  
"Hey, need you to take the helm for a bit.  I got something I need to do."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, go see to your woman," Hadley grinned, slipping past Joker and the scowl the man shot at him, to make himself comfortable in front of the flight console.  Grumbling, he made his way to the elevator and down a floor, making as much haste as he could to the med bay.  
  
"Joker?  Is something wrong?" Dr. Chakwas asked as she turned toward the sound of the open door, catching sight of the man walking inside.  
  
"What's good for an upset stomach?" he asked.  
  
"Are you coming down with something?"   
  
"No, not me.  Kara… err Commander Shepard just came back from Omega and said she's too nauseous from the smell of burning flesh to eat something and she's like really hungry… forgot to eat before she left to pick up the Professor."  
  
Chakwas shot him a knowing smile at his slip-up, making him fumble and blush like a school-boy.  Swiveling around, she opened up one of her drawers and fished out a couple of small packs, turning back around to hand them to him.  
  
"Get some hot water from Gardner and make her this - it's peppermint tea and should help her with the nausea."  
  
"Thanks, Doc.  I should… ahh… go now," he turned on his heel and headed toward the door.  
  
"She's lucky to have you, Jeff," Chakwas said softly, chuckling only after he left at the blush on his cheeks.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A muffled groan greeted his ears as he entered the loft.  Taking care of the hot liquid in the mug, he made his way over to the side of the bed as quickly as possible, cursing under his breath at the sight of her curled up into a tight ball on her side.  Setting the mug down on the bedside table, he sat down beside her.  Her skin beneath his hand as he lay it on her cheek was cool and clammy.  
  
"Stomach cramping bad since you forgot to eat?" he asked, recognizing the signs now that he was paying attention.  
  
"Gods is it cramping," she whimpered.  
  
"Chakwas gave me some mint tea.  Said it should help with the nausea so you can eat."  
  
"Help me up?"  
  
Wrapping his arms just under her armpits, he helped her hoist herself up into a sitting position, leaving one arm around her to lean on as he grabbed for the tea, helping her hold it so she could sip at the brew.  
  
"When did you eat last?" he asked, his eyes searching hers.  
  
"Breakfast yesterday morning."  
  
"Shit.  You should have said something last night, hell even this morning, and I would have grabbed you something.  You need to keep protein bars or something in your pockets if you think you might get too busy to sit down to eat."  
  
"I'm fine, Joker.  The nausea just aggravated it is all," she smiled at his concern and leaned forward to press her lips against his.  Her eyes fluttered closed as he deepened the kiss, her system evening out at the tender care he was giving her mouth. Pulling away reluctantly at her moan, he looked at her and brought the mug bag up to her lips.  
  
"Finish this and then we'll head down to the mess and grab something to eat, all right?"  
  
"What do I get in return?" her grin was saucy as she peered at him over the edge of the mug.  
  
"Lack of stomach cramps?  Hadley is manning the ship as a favor so I'd like to get back as soon as possible.  Otherwise…" his look was far from innocent as he returned her stare.  
  
"Damn, Joker cockblocks himself," she laughed, downing the now cool contents in a few gulps.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Make me."  
  
"When I'm off duty."  
  
"I'll hold you to it," she smirked.  
  
"Besides, I need to come up with something else to do to EDI.  Grease on the cameras was funny but I feel the need to one up myself with that thing."  
  
Kara threw her head back and laughed, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.  
  
"That one was priceless, I'll give you that.  Dream sequence for sure, though I'm the only one allowed to dream about you."  
  
"You're definitely feeling better.  Let's get you some grub."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kara waited in the shadows of the darkened CIC, waiting until Joker had stepped away from the console to stretch his legs.  Swiping some shoe black on EDI's lenses, the moment she entered the cockpit, she quickly wiped her hands then crawled beneath the console, tucking herself far enough back that he wouldn't see or feel her when he came back.  Due to the time he had spent with her earlier, Joker was taking the first three hours of Hadley's overnight shift at the console.  Her lips curved eagerly as she thought of the thank you she was about to give him for taking care of her.  
  
Sighing, Joker looked longingly over at the elevator and wished he could head up to the loft to spend the evening with Kara.  It seemed that the moment they had aired the repressed feelings between them, it was as if they had always been a couple, it just felt that right.  The night following the morning he'd woken up from the nightmare with her in his arms was the first peaceful one he'd had in two years.    
  
His lap around the CIC complete, he settled back into his chair, snuggling into the soft leather and grinning as he did every time he took his seat.  It seemed to mold to his form, making his job on this Normandy much more pleasant.  Now if only that thing he didn't want to think about hadn't been installed, things would be perfect.  Setting his hands to the console as he checked the systems, he bit back a yelp as he felt something sliding up the insides of his legs.  
  
"What the…" he trailed off as he looked beneath the console to see Kara peeking up at him, the impish look in her eyes setting his heart pounding.  
  
"Miss me?" she purred.  
  
"Wh-What are you doing under there?"  
  
"Thanking you for earlier," she said, her hands sliding up his thighs, thumbs brushing him lightly as she settled them on his hips.  He swallowed hard as her eyes took on the dark stormy blue color he had come to enjoy seeing when he did something that turned her on.  He watched as her fingers made quick work of the fasteners on his pants, tugging the waist down enough until he was fully bare to the air.  
  
"What about… you know…" he murmured, gasping as he felt the wet heat of her tongue swirling over the head of his manhood.  
  
"Shoe black - effectively blinded," she answered, her hand wrapping around the base as she looked at him, squeezing lightly while watching his face.  The flush that crept over his face and the way that he tightened his hands on the armrests pleased her.  Taking the soft sac into her other hand, she massaged it gently then, in one swift move, took him deep.  
  
"Holy shit!" he whimpered, his eyes fixated on the scene in front of him, his hips involuntarily bucking up against her.  She hummed her pleasure, the vibrations from her throat reverberating down his manhood and up his spine.  With some difficulty he removed his hands from the armrests and sank them into her hair, his fingers pressing into her scalp and causing her to moan softly.    
  
"You're gonna kill me," he shuddered as she removed her mouth, blowing on the wet skin lightly, flashing him a grin, as she gently took his sac in her mouth and rolled it around.  He fought to keep his eyes on her instead of rolling back into his head the way they'd like to, his breathing coming in harsh, ragged gasps.  His grip tightened as she let go and her flattened tongue made its way up his length, coming up to tease at the underside of the ridge of the head.  
  
Her eyes on him, she sank her mouth back down until she had him completely surrounded, her eyes finally closing as she concentrated on the smell and taste of him.  She realized her folly at that moment when her body instantaneously reacted to the scent and feel of him, her mouth watering at the flavor that filled it.  As she took her time to learn every curve and bump, she let herself get lost in the sensory overload she was receiving, unable to hold back her own moans as he slid in and out of her mouth.  
  
His lungs felt as though they were on fire as he fought to breathe, feeling himself tightening as his eyes remained fixated on her and what she was doing to him.  His hips were thrusting and rocking up against her mindlessly, the wet heat of her mouth urging him quickly toward completion.  
  
"Kara… Kara…" he keened, his back arching as her tongue found a particularly sensitive spot, "I'm… I'm gonna…" he gasped out.  The moment the words left his mouth, her hands found purchase on the rounded, bubbled globes of his ass and gripped tight, pulling him tighter to her.  He let out a hoarse cry as he jetted deep into her throat, the feel of her muscles clamping down around him as she swallowed causing him to completely empty himself.  Slowly sinking back into the chair as his body relaxed, he let out a long shuddering breath as he watched her tuck him ever so gently back into his pants before fastening them up, her eyes then sliding up his body to rest on his face.  
  
"That was… you were… amazing.  I can't believe you did that…"  
  
"Neither can I, Mr. Moreau.  I am glad that my cameras were tampered with for once.  I feel the need to purge my audio banks," EDI's voice sounded surprisingly bitchy for an AI.  
  
"Well you shouldn't have listened in, EDI.  That's what happens when you stick your nose where it doesn't belong," Kara snickered then looked back up at Joker.  
  
"I thought you deserved something for taking time out to help me earlier, giving up some of your sleep time to make up for time lost," she murmured.  He took her hands in his and brought them to his lips, brushing them over her knuckles as he looked at her, ignoring EDI's remarks for once.  
  
"You make me feel whole," he whispered.  
  
"You always were, Joker," she said, sliding up his body as she removed herself from her previously cramped quarters, and pressed a kiss to his forehead.  
  
"You're it for me, Kara."  
  
"Damn straight.  I'm the only one who can command your ship with any expertise," she shot back at him, earning a smirk in response, though her eyes said what her lips hadn't, that he was it for her too.  
  
"I'll see you in an hour when Hadley relieves me."  
  
"Looking forward to it."


	7. Our First Major Argument

Joker stared transfixed at the console, his gaze never wavering from the video feed in front of him.  Thanks to EDI - she had her uses sometimes - he was able to watch Kara, along with Mordin and Jacob, running through Purgatory.  His blood boiled at the quick message she had sent him, letting him know of Warden Kuril's betrayal and intent to hold her and the others for coin.  
  
"This person better be worth the shit she's going through just to recruit 'em," he muttered as he watched the three gun down mechs and Blue Suns mercs alike.  
  
"According to the dossier Jack, aka Subject Zero, is one of the most powerful biotics known to human kind.  It is a logical step to take to bring this person along in the fight against the reapers," EDI stated.  
  
"Just because they're a powerful biotic doesn't mean we need 'em.  Take that thing in the tank for instance.  A pure krogan who's probably programmed to kill the first thing it sees when the tank is opened.  We got a thief in Port Observation… what the hell do we need one of those for?  Garrus and Mordin are the only ones who make sense to me so far," he grumbled.  
  
"Valid points made, Mr. Moreau," EDI replied.  
  
Joker's eyes widened as the camera panned near the loading dock, his fingers tapping out commands to bring the image up full screen.  He studied the figure that Kara and her team had been chasing for the better part of two hours through the burning ship.  
  
"Shit, she looks like she's a fucking nut case.  Then again, this was a prison ship.  One more crazy to add to the list.  Damn, I miss the old group sometimes," he sighed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I finally got you cornered, sweetheart," Kara muttered as she watched the tatted up woman throwing a temper tantrum that would rival a two-year-old's just from seeing the Cerberus logo on the side of the Normandy.  
  
"What the hell do you want?" Jack snapped as she was brought out of her snit fit by the sound of Kara's gun going off, finally noticing the merc who had been trying to sneak up on her.  
  
"I'm here to grab you and get the fuck off this ship, that's what," Kara snarled, annoyed at the other woman's tone.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere with you, Cerberus," Jack narrowed her eyes at Shepard.  
  
"I'm offering to be your friend.  You sure as hell don't want to be my enemy," Kara snickered.  
  
"Shepard's combat abilities, impressive.  Determination, equally impressive.  Enemies don't last long," Mordin chimed in.  
  
"You show up in a Cerberus frigate to take me somewhere.  Do you think I'm stupid?"   
  
"This ship's going down in a nice big ball of fire and I've got the only way out."  
  
"You know, Shepard, we could knock her out and haul her aboard," Jacob suggested.  
  
"It just might come to that," she smirked, looking Jack over.  "She might be some all-powerful biotic bitch, but I'm the queen bitch and have survived worse things than her, death being one of them."  
  
Jacob grinned at his commander, glad that she was on their side and not the enemy's.  
  
"Fine, but if I come with you, I want something in return."  
  
"Depends… you're not really in a position to bargain.  No skin off my ass if I leave you behind with this ship."  
  
Jack was a bit taken aback by Shepard's lack of jumping at her suggestion.  Most people who needed or wanted something were more than willing to take it in any way, shape, or form that they could but this woman was more of a hard-ass than she had initially thought.  
  
"I want full access to the ship's records.  Names, dates, places…"  
  
"We'll see.  If you're a good girl I just might let you have them," Kara stated, waving the other two on as she walked off, heading toward the ship's hangar.  Jack bared her teeth, waiting until they were halfway down the walkway before running to catch up.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Joker watched Kara as she stepped out of the Armory from the conference room, her gloved hands tearing at her now unbound hair.  Her steps were swift and angry as she headed toward the cockpit, her eyes flashing like iced lightning.  As she had gone straight into the room after boarding the ship, her and her armor still smelled like a combination of sweat, blood, and smoke as she plopped herself on the edge of the console and stared out one of the windows to watch the stars slip past.  
  
"Fucking nutcase.  Totally screwed up in the head and Miranda just _had_ to egg her on and make things worse.  Upside is her biotics are stronger than Liara's and Kaidan's put together.  Downside is she's got a hair trigger temper and a worse mouth on her than I have.  I think I might end up performing my first death by airlock," she grumped, letting go of her hair only when Joker pried her fingers away from it.  
  
"Let go… I tend to like your hair where it is… on your head, not in your hands.  Keep that up and you'll yank yourself bald," he said.  She quirked her lips into a slight grin and rolled her eyes at him.  
  
"I'm serious!  I don't think you'd look good without hair.  But, gods, what the hell is up with the weirdos that the Illusive Man is having us pick up.  I'm almost starting to wonder if it might be safer for us on a Collector vessel than inside the Normandy," he grumbled.  
  
"The gods only know because I sure as hell don't.  Jacob's not so bad - kind of growing on me actually…" she stopped at the soft growl coming from Joker and grinned, "and don't get your nuts in a wad because it ain't like that either."  
  
"Better not be," he huffed.  
  
"Haven't the last couple of months taught you anything?  I mean we've practically been living in each other's arms since that night on the Citadel.  You're the only man for me, Joker.  You should know that by now," she smiled and tugged the brim of his cap down over his eyes.  He stuck his tongue out at her as he readjusted his hat.  
  
"Down boy.  That'll get some use later, I'm sure.  Seriously though…"  
  
"Yeah, I know… just sometimes… y'know?" he sighed.  Kara knelt beside the chair and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his abdomen.  His hands slid over her hair, his smile gentle as he looked down at her.  
  
"But, as I was saying, other than getting along with Operative Taylor a bit better, the only other ones that make sense are Mordin and Garrus.  Mordin can hopefully find a countermeasure against the Collector swarms and Garrus could shoot out the eyeball of a gnat with relative ease and leave the rest intact.  Kasumi is nice, but I keep wondering if she's pawned something of ours on one of the stations we've visited.  I like Zaeed, hell he's like a brother in arms, but we're both a shit ton alike.  I don't need a male me running around," her voice was muffled against his clothing.  
  
"See, and that's what I don't get.  But, I'm not the one funding this run so…"  
  
"Yeah…" Kara said as she lifted her head and looked at him.  "Well, while I'm at it and still running a bit buzzed from dealing with Jack, might as well deal with the tank born."  
  
"Fuck no!  Ain't no way in hell you're going down there and letting that thing free!" he half shouted, his heart beginning to pound at the thought of her in the enclosed space with an unknown krogan.  
  
"Excuse me?" her eyes iced over again as she pulled away.  
  
"You might be Kara Shepard, Spectre, Savior of the Citadel, but you're not goddamned indestructible!  No, not on my ship are you putting your life on the line.  Hell no!"  
  
"I might love you, Joker, and I might take a lot of shit from you that would earn someone else a boot in the ass, but that doesn't give you the right to order me around," she hissed as she stood up straight.  Her posture stiffer than before, she strode out of the cockpit and toward the elevator, nervous crew members staring after her as she disappeared behind its doors.  
  
"Don't you even think about starting in on me, EDI.  Just give me a damned feed for the cargo hold," he sighed.  
  
"Understood, Mr. Moreau," the AI replied.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kara snarled as she paced the small confines of the elevator.  How dare he treat her like a child, like she couldn't take care of herself?  She wasn't some insipid idiot who didn't know how to handle herself.  She'd spent months, almost a year, tucked away into the old Normandy with a krogan on board so it wasn't as if she didn't know anything about how to deal with them.  He had taught her how to defend herself against one of his own, taking them down without too much injury to her own body.  The moment the doors slid open she stormed down the hallway to the cargo hold, stopping only when she stood in front of the tank.  
  
"Are you sure this is wise, Shepard?" EDI asked, the holo-globe materializing on the monitor beside her.  
  
"Not you too," she growled.  "Just unlock the damned controls."  
  
"As you wish," the AI responded, the controls changing from red to green within a matter of seconds.  Kara keyed in the code left with the tank, stepping back a couple of feet as the stasis fluid began to flow around her feet.  Her eyes remained cool and calculating as the tank-bred collapsed, no longer held up by the force of the liquid.  
  
With an impressive amount of speed and coordination from one who spent their entire life in a tank, the krogan rushed the human woman in front of him, slamming her up against the far wall.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Joker's eyes remained locked on the vid screen, eyes narrowed, as he watched the scene unfolding in front of him.  The moment Kara ended up sandwiched between the wall and the krogan, he tapped into the comm. system in the forward battery.  
  
"Garrus, do me a favor and get your turian ass down to the cargo bay in case that damned tank-bred needs to be taken out.  He's got Kara pinned up against the wall right now."  
  
"By the stars!  What the hell was she thinking, going down there alone?" Garrus huffed, rushing out of the room and into the armory to grab his gun before heading down to Engineering.  
  
Joker turned up the audio feed, his hands gripping the arms of the chair as he watched, so focused on how close the krogan's face was to Kara's that he didn't notice her gun shoved against the thing's hide.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Before I kill you, human, I need to know one thing.  Name?" the tank-bred growled in her face.  
  
"Kara Shepard, Commander of the Normandy of whose cargo bay you're currently standing in," she snarled back.  
  
"Not yours, mine!  What am I called?" he asked.  
  
"Don't know.  Okeer didn't leave an instruction manual for you," she replied, her eyes laser sharp on his.  She listened curiously as he ran through a gamut of names and words, stopping on one.  
  
"Grunt.  That will do.  It has no meaning, no feeling, so I will be called Grunt."  
  
"That's nice, Grunt.  Now what do you say to letting me go before you end up in a world of hurt," she said, her voice dripping sugar.  
  
"Since it is your ship that I am on, I will let you live… for now.  Well met, Commander Shepard," Grunt said, slowly releasing his hold on her.  At her soft laugh, he looked down to see her gun pressed up against his side.  He let out a rumble of humor of his own, his eyes going back to hers.  
  
"Offer friendship with one hand while prepared to kill with the other.  I think I like you, Shepard," the tank-bred grinned.  
  
"Just behave and don't try to kill anyone on my ship and we'll get along famously, got it, Grunt?"  
  
"As long as they don't attack me," he answered.  
  
"Good enough.  Welcome aboard the Normandy."  
  
At the cough off to her side, she turned to see Garrus, rifle cocked and aimed, and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Everything is fine.  Lower your weapon, Vakarian.  Unless it's Jack, I highly doubt there'll be any killing going on in this ship for now.  Let me guess, Joker sent you?" she sighed as she tugged the turian out of Grunt's room.  
  
"He was worried and with good reason.  What the hell were you thinking, going in there alone?"  
  
"That thanks to the training Wrex gave me, I could handle myself."  
  
"Wait a minute, Wrex taught you how to take down a krogan?"  
  
"Why not?  He knew that I might end up in a situation against a krogan merc and wanted to make sure I could come out of it alive."  
  
"Holy shit," Garrus whistled, shaking his head, then looked down at his friend.  "You might want to talk to Joker.  He's worried about you."  
  
"I'm still pissed at him.  He'll have to wait," she stated, letting Garrus off on his floor before taking the elevator up to her room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Joker paced back and forth outside of Kara's room, trying to calm the simmering anger that had continued to plague him since their argument earlier.  Spitting out a curse, he slapped his palm over the entrance mechanism, striding into the room as best as he could the moment the doors opened.  
  
"I don't think you should be here right now," Kara said, her voice devoid of emotion, as were her eyes, as she glanced up to see who had entered her room.  
  
"I'm not leaving."  
  
"How dare…"  
  
"No, how dare _you_!" he interrupted, walking down the steps and around the table to stand in front of her.  She stood, temper flaring in her eyes as she looked up at him, their bodies close enough that each could feel the simmer of anger flaring off the other.  
  
"How dare you have no concern for your own safety and well-being and go into a room, alone, with a krogan we knew nothing about!  Shit, he fucking slammed you up against a wall the moment he saw you!  Sometimes you need to knock that 'I'm Commander Shepard and a total bad-ass' attitude out of your head and realize you're not invincible.  Ok, yeah, you came back from death once, but shit, you're not immortal!" he yelled.  
  
"You have no right to tell me what the hell to do!  I grew up just fine without parents and I don't need a father now.  I'm an adult and can make my own damned decisions.  Being my boyfriend doesn't give you the fucking right to make them for me!" she shouted right back at him.  
  
"I'm not trying to make your decisions for you.  I'm also not trying to be your damned father… ew!  It's just… fuck, I lost you once and I don't want to lose you again, all right?" his eyes bored into hers.  She sighed, temper deflated at his admission, and leaned forward to rest her forehead against his chest while wrapping her arms around his waist.  
  
"I'm sorry.  The way you talked to me, the way you reacted when I told you what I was going to do… it got my back up.  Maybe sometimes I do put myself needlessly into danger, but I'm not trying to kill myself, promise.  I've got too much to live for, now."  
  
Joker pressed a kiss to the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her, his world righting itself as she curled up within his embrace.  
  
"And I wasn't thinking when I said what I did.  I just got finished watching you haul ass through a shit-ton of mercs and mechs to go after some nutcase biotic, all the while a ship was burning down around you, and I was still on edge when you made that announcement," he murmured.  
  
"Wow… our first fight," she chuckled.  
  
"Not as knock-down, drag-out as I imagined we'd probably end up with, but I'm all right with that," he laughed, squeezing her tight.  
  
"We good?" she tilted her face up to his.  
  
"Yeah, we're good," he grinned, leaning down to kiss her.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kara looked around the Starboard Observatory curiously, wondering why Joker had asked her to meet him there.  She still felt a bit like an ass from their argument a day earlier and wondered if maybe he did too, perhaps having something up his sleeve as an apology.  He was surprisingly sweet like that, popping up with little gifts for her that she still had no idea where he got them from, or when he had the time to go shopping.  Grinning to herself, she stepped toward the window and looked at the peaceful expanse of space, getting lost in the view of the heavens.  Her eyes slid closed as she felt his arms encircle her waist from behind.  
  
"Hey," he nibbled lightly on her ear.  
  
"Hey yourself," she shivered, reaching up behind her to graze her nails lightly over the skin of his neck.  
  
"Beautiful here, isn't it?  I might look at this all day, but there's something about not sitting in the pilot's chair that makes it a calming experience."  
  
"Helps when the company's good too," she grinned, turning her head to look back at him.  
  
"I know we don't get a chance to do real 'couple' things, saving the galaxy and all, but I figured this worked well enough as a date spot…"  
  
"Mmhmm.  Bet you didn't know this, but I come here a lot when I'm stressed and you're busy up front.  Helps to relax me."  
  
"Bet you didn't know this, but I already knew that.  I like to keep an eye on you, make sure you're all right," he said, tightening his grip.  
  
"Y'know, others might find that creepy.  Me, not so much.  I like knowing I'm being looked after, even if I might not say so at the time.  Thanks for sending Garrus after me yesterday, by the way.  At one point I almost wondered if I had gotten in over my head," she sighed.  Instead of responding, he nuzzled the side of her neck and placed a soft kiss on the underside of her jaw.  Turning her to face him, he looked down at her, his eyes solemn.  
  
"You know you mean the world to me, right?  That I'd do anything to keep you safe because you make me feel like I could do anything, like I'm not suffering from some bone disease but am instead a whole person?  You're my home…"  
  
Her eyes searched his, nerves beginning to flutter low in her belly.  
  
"Is… Is something wrong, Joker?" she asked, panic hitching her voice a bit.  
  
"Nothing's wrong.  Hopefully everything will continue being right…" he said, letting go of her to fumble in his pockets and extract a small box.  He watched her as her eyes bounced between the box and his green gaze, a hiccupping sob escaping her lips as she correctly guessed what was going on.  Taking her left hand in his, he flipped open the box with the other.  
  
"I can't exactly go down on one knee here, but I'm all right standing here with you.  I know we've only been together for a couple of months now, but I know I love you and I know I'll never love anyone else.  With everything looming ahead of us, I want this little bright spot to hold onto, you and a promise of a life together if we make it… when we make it.  Will you marry me, Kara?"  
  
She looked at the ring, perfect for a warrior's hand.  While the blue diamond might not be large, as it was inset into a slim platinum band, it was delicate without being too girly.  She saw the Norse runes for love and protection etched into the outside of the band and her heart constricted at how perfect it was for her.  
  
"Yes, Jeff, I'll marry you," she answered, looking from the ring back up to him.  He let out a whoop of joy and grabbed her around the waist, hugging her tight as he pressed his lips hotly against hers.  After a few moments, she pulled away breathlessly, laughter in her eyes.  
  
"You forgot something sweetheart.  It's in the box," she grinned.  
  
"Oh shit," he laughed, a flush staining his cheeks.  Removing the ring, he slid it over her finger, rubbing the skin lightly around the band as it sat snuggly where it belonged.  She reached up to cup his cheek in her hand, her thumb lightly caressing the skin.  He smiled at her, then looked around the room, his shoulders sagging slightly.  
  
"Ah crap.  I'll be right back.  I forgot something!" he gave her a swift kiss on the lips before rushing out of the room.  Chuckling, she rolled her eyes in his direction then stared down at the ring.  Pulling it off of her finger, she studied it in more detail, her smile growing even wider as she read the inscription on the inside.  
  
 _Joker & Kara - Forever flying through the stars together._  
  
"Damn straight," she murmured, replacing the ring on her finger.  
  
"What's that?" Joker asked as he re-entered the room, a bottle of champagne and two glasses in his hands.  
  
"Forever in the stars, love," she answered, turning to see the embarrassed flush on his cheeks.  
  
"I had a sappy moment, so sue me," he grumbled good naturedly.  
  
"I promise I won't let anyone know," she snickered.  He smirked at her as he uncorked the bottle and poured them each a glass.  Handing one to her, he motioned to the two gigantic pillows sitting in front of the observation window.  Nodding, she took a seat, curling up beside him as he joined her.  
  
"To a life together filled with love, passion, tempers, and Reapers… until we kick their scaly asses," he toasted, earning a laugh from her as she clinked her glass against his.  
  
"I second that," she said, taking a sip as the two sat in silence, watching the stars fly by.


	8. Horizon

"Joker won't be able to keep his eyes off you," Kasumi smiled, fluffing up and readjusting strands of Kara's hair.  
  
"Downside is, I'm not doing this for his benefit but for yours.  You still haven't told me what this is about," Kara eyed herself critically in the mirror.  Strands of white-blond hair that fell from a half twist on the crown of her head framed her face, the rest of her hair flowing down her back in soft waves.  She had the barest touch of make-up applied, highlighting her features instead of overpowering them.  The sleeveless powder-blue dress came to mid-thigh and hugged her curves, the neckline plunging down to give a teasing view of her cleavage.  Both her fingernails and toenails had been done in a French-manicure style.  Her feet were encased in heels with silver cord wrapped gracefully up her calves to her knees, modeled after ancient Roman sandals.  Her jewelry was simple understated platinum - the necklace had a Native American feel to it with turquoise beading and feather ornamentation.  She smiled down at her engagement ring, twirling it lightly around her finger.  
  
"I guess I look presentable enough for where ever we're going.  Where are we going?" she asked.  
  
"You'll find out soon enough, Shepard," Kasumi answered.  "I must say, though, the whole color combination I picked out really sets off that California beach-girl look with your hair, blue eyes, and honey skin, sweetie.  Much better than the black dress I had initially planned on.  You should make sure Joker doesn't hack into the security feeds or else he might end up jealous.  I don't see any man or woman at that party not looking at you and drooling."  
  
Kara let out a soft laugh and shook her head.  
  
"Surprisingly enough, jealousy isn't something either of us feel.  Fear for the other person's safety, anger if they put themselves needlessly in danger, yes.  Jealousy?  No.  Well not usually.  There was one time he growled at me when I mentioned getting along a bit better with one of the male crew members," she laughed.  
  
"You're lucky to have found someone like that.  I had someone once," Kasumi sighed.  "I miss Keiji terribly sometimes."  
  
"I'm sorry you lost him," Kara looked over at the woman, unsure as to whether she should try and comfort her or not.  
  
"Come on, Shepard.  We shouldn't keep the others waiting," Kasumi grinned.  "I can't wait to see their reactions when they get a look at you."  
  
"Oh gods," Kara mumbled, her hand resting over her stomach as nerves balled up inside.  
  
"Don't worry.  You look amazing."  
  
"The thought of having so many eyes on me.  Ugh," she shuddered, her heels surprisingly silent as she followed the thief out of the loft and into the elevator.  
  
"At least I won't need to teach you how to walk in those things," Kasumi teased.  
  
"I was required to go to enough balls and other social functions while in basic - they said it would make us 'better rounded' but I think they just wanted to torture us more with awkward situations.  The graduation parties were fun though," she grinned.  
  
The entire CIC went silent as the elevator doors opened and Kara stepped through.  Kelly's eyes widened to the point that the Commander was afraid the young woman's eyeballs would fall out of her head.  She turned her head at the sound of a low whistle off to her side to catch Jacob staring at her.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I clean up well.  Everyone get back to your stations, keep your eyes in your head, and your jaws shut, all right?" She sighed, shaking her head, though her lips quirked as she held back a laugh.  
  
"Now let's see how your man reacts to your transformation," the woman beside her chuckled, ushering her up the catwalk, past more stares, into the cockpit.    
  
Hearing footsteps behind him, Joker swung the chair around and blinked at the two women in front of him.  His eyes zeroed in on Kara and a flush from beneath his uniform began to crawl up his neck and over his face.  His mouth worked just enough to open and close, almost as if a fish out of water, before he swallowed audibly.  
  
"Damn," he whispered, his voice hoarse.  "You look… amazing!"  
  
Kara's smile widened as her cheeks took on a light pink color.  Joker looked over at Kasumi, his eyes calculating.  
  
"This is hers, isn't it?  I mean you're not going to, like, take it back or anything when you two are finished with whatever it is you're doing?"   
  
"It's hers.  Consider it a gift for the favor she's doing for me," she replied then turned to Kara.  "I'll meet you on the shuttle, Shepard.  Be quick in your farewells to lover boy over here, please," the woman laughed softly.    
  
The moment Kasumi disappeared, Joker grabbed Kara's hand and yanked her over to his chair, his hand sliding up the bare expanse of leg within reach.  
  
"I wish you didn't have to go.  I'd love to take some time exploring this," he said, his voice low and gravelly.  
  
"If you can come up with a good reason to get me back into the dress, you'll have your chance," she whispered, shivering at the touch of his hand against her skin.  She began to lean down toward him when his hand snaked up to grab her behind her neck, pulling her in for a kiss filled with longing and promises to come.  She gasped for breath as she was released from his grip.  
  
"I'll see you in a bit, Joker."  
  
"Damned well better.  I don't want to find out that someone decided to haul you off, caveman style."  
  
Laughing as she regained her composure, she straightened up and flashed him a saucy wink as she left, making sure to let her hips roll seductively as she walked away from him.  The resulting moan that followed her made her grin.  Her step was light as she disappeared into the elevator, not dreading the upcoming mission as much as she had been.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kara huddled down as the gunship made another pass over, praying that she had found a strong enough defense to hide behind with the way Hock was spraying bullets at her.  
  
"Kasumi!  Have any tricks that'll take down those shields?  They keep regenning no matter what I do!" Kara shouted out over the gunfire, sweat beading on her temple as she peeked over the concrete wall to snipe at another one of the guards trying to make his way toward them.  
  
"Keep the area clear, Shepard, and let me get to a good spot.  I've got an idea!"  
  
Nodding, she rose out of cover long enough to take out a few more mercs, ducking back when the gunship roared overhead, bits of stone raining down over her, one of them slicing through the skin on her cheek and leaving a blood trail.  
  
"You're so gonna pay for that, you bastard," she growled, resuming fire once he'd swung out of view again.  
  
"Hostiles cleared, Kasumi!"  
  
"Got it, Shepard!"  
  
She watched as the woman leapt up the maze of pipes, toward the ship that had come back into sight, keeping her gun trained on Hock enough to divert his attention from the thief.  The moment she saw Kasumi land on their target, she concentrated on cleaning the area of any other disturbance.  
  
"Shields down.  Let's take this asshole out!"  
  
Her grin feral, Kara switched to her armor-piercing ammo and took aim with her sniper rifle, her shots landing perfectly on the fuel tanks.  The resulting explosion took out the rest of the ground troops, causing her to jump out of cover to let out a whoop of joy until a large piece of debris hurtled her direction.  Ducking down, she laughed as it narrowly missed her.  
  
"I hope Joker didn't see that or he'll be on my ass like white on rice for putting myself in 'needless danger'," she giggled.  
  
"That's if he isn't still feeling the effects of seeing you in a dress," the other woman laughed.  
  
"True 'nough," Kara replied, grabbing the satchel she had left near the door with her clothing in it and whatever else she could find on her way toward the Kodiak.  Once on board, she leaned back and stretched out, relaxing as yet another job was done.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Great way to end the day, huh, Commander?" Joker's voice echoed around her from the comm. as she stared in the bathroom mirror, wincing at the nice gash that now decorated her cheek from the sharp concrete.  "Almost getting beaned by a piece of scorched metal hurtling straight at you?"   
  
"Don't forget the flying bits of sharp concrete and rock thanks to the force of the gunship's bullets," she muttered, hissing as she dabbed at the offending wound first with soap and water, then with antiseptic.  "Busted my ass to get everything needed to remove the damned scarring so I didn't look like a walking cybernetic freak, and now this."  
  
Pulling the edges of the skin together, she taped them closed with butterfly bandages then slumped down onto the bathroom floor.  Running her fingers through her now tangled hair - the wind from the gunship's blades had whipped it around like it were a live thing - she sighed.  Joker found her there moments later after he was relieved from duty.  
  
"I'm not being vain, am I?  I've got scars crisscrossing my body from other battles and they don't bother me, but this one does.  Maybe because it's not the original scar I had before I was rebuilt.  I didn't mind the little ones I had cutting across my brow or chin because they were mine.  Yeah, this one's mine too, but it's not the same…"  
  
"Couldn't you use that machine again?" he asked, helping her up off the floor.  
  
"If I use it too much it could cause a thinning of the skin.  Not only that but this thing isn't even a scar yet."  
  
"You're beautiful to me no matter what, you know that, right?  Just think of how badass you'll look with a scar running the line of your cheekbone, though," he grinned, leaning down to press his lips lightly against hers.  Wrapping her arms around his waist, she laughed and rested her cheek against his chest.  
  
"My love, my center - the man who can make me laugh through anything."  
  
He looked down at her, his eyes going soft.  Like him, she wasn't one to speak words of love often, preferring to go by the old adage of actions speak louder than words.  It was nice to hear every once in a while, though, as it was then that the words held more of a punch.  
  
"As long as you're laughing with me and not at me, we're good," he smiled.  With a cheeky grin, she smacked him lightly upside his head as she removed herself from his arms and exited the bathroom.  
  
"Hey, be careful!  I break easily!" he teased.  
  
"If you broke as easily as you like people to think, our love life would be in a world of trouble," she snickered, stripping down to her tank and boy-short panties before flopping down on the bed and burying her head into one of the pillows.  Following suit, he removed his uniform and curled up beside her, pulling the covers up over them both before sliding his hand up her tank to rest over her belly.  
  
"G'night, Joker."  
  
"G'night, Kara."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Sorry to wake you, but the Illusive Man wishes to speak with you in the debriefing room," Joker's voice slid out of the comm. and into her ears.  Muttering to herself she rolled over onto her stomach and shoved her face into the pillow.  
  
"Tell 'im to fuck off, that I'm sleeping," came her muffled reply.  
  
"I would except he said it's urgent and he needs to speak with you, like, yesterday."  
  
"Goddamn it!" she growled, stumbling from the bed to yank on her Cerberus civs.  "All right, all right, tell him I'll be there in a minute."  
  
"Aye, aye."  
  
Kara stomped out of her room and into the elevator, her left cheek throbbing from the injury it had received the day before.  Her mood was akin to that of a wounded bear and having to deal with the Illusive Man didn't make it any better.  The moment she stepped into the room, she activated the console so she could get the conversation over and done with.  
  
"Shepard."  
  
"What the hell do you want?"  
  
"Cut the attitude, Shepard."  
  
"Look, you dragged me out of bed with something supposedly important enough that I couldn't even stop for my cup of coffee first, and my cheek hurts like hell now that the pain blockers have worn off.  If you expect me to be bright and cheerful, you can kiss my ass."  
  
"Save it for the Collectors," he said, the tip of his cigarette glowing in the darkened room.  "I just received word that one of our colonies on the edge of the Terminus Systems has gone dark.  If it is for the reasons I think it is, we might be able to catch them in the act.  This might be the earliest warning we've ever had of Collector activity."   
  
"Shit," she sighed.  
  
"One other thing you should know.  Your old crew mate, Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, is on Horizon."  
  
"And you just happen to know this how?  Especially when you told me earlier his file was 'surprisingly highly classified'?"   
  
"I have my ways, Shepard.  Now are you going to do this?"  
  
"Yeah, just give me the damned coordinates and I'll have Joker set a course immediately."  
  
"Already sent.  Good hunting, Shepard."  
  
Her hands were unsteady as they pushed back her hair.  Kaidan and she hadn't parted on the best of terms after she had turned him down once again while serving together on the SR1.  Even so, she'd considered him one of her closer friends and someone she could turn to if she needed help dealing with both political and military red tape.  The thought of him being one of those taken by the Collectors sent a spear of terror through her heart.    
  
"Set a course for Horizon immediately, Joker," she stated, pulling up the coordinates on the terminal behind him.  
  
"ETA 1 hour, Kara.  Why, what's up?"  
  
"Colony just went dark.  Suspected Collector attack.  If we can get there soon enough, perhaps we might get a chance at saving some of them.  Kaidan's there too," she said in a rush.  
  
"Alenko?  What the hell is he doing all the way out there?  Shit…" he sighed.  
  
"No clue.  Must be part of the 'classified' bit Anderson wouldn't tell me since I'm working with Cerberus."  
  
"Let's hope we get there in time.  Good thing there's a relay close by," he said, powering up the ship's FTL drives.  As he felt her hand rest on his shoulder, and the light tremble of the fingers that gripped it, he rested his on hers and tilted his head back to look up at her.  
  
"You can do this.  We can do this."  
  
"I know.  It's just, he's one of my best friends, y'know?  But I'm also worried - we might have upgraded the ship a bit but what if," she paused.  "What if they decide to attack the Normandy while I'm ground side?"  
  
"We'll figure that out if it happens.  Just be careful down there, all right?" he asked, pulling her down for a kiss.  
  
"No exploding gunships this time so I should be all right," she joked, though her heart wasn't in it.  Patting his shoulder lightly she turned from him, hurrying to grab her team and get suited up.  Kara hoped the countermeasure Mordin had applied to their armor held.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Harbinger.  Even that name sent chills down her spine.  What the hell was it that it was able to keep assuming control of the other collector bodies?  Not only that but it was one tough sonuvabitch to take down each time it took over yet another collector.  The husks didn't make matters any better, having given her nightmares ever since Eden Prime.  Knowing that the Collectors had access to the same technology Sovereign did to create these things made her nauseous.  Two things kept her going - the colonists that she passed who were stuck in some nerve stasis, and knowing Kaidan had been stationed here.  Her knees could barely support her by the time they made it to the defense tower.  If this was the way she reacted now, she needed to toughen up before she truly took the fight to these beasts.  Either that or Cerberus had the wrong woman for the job.  
  
"EDI, can you get the guns back online?"   
  
"Calibrating them won't be an issue, Shepard.  I'll need you to keep the area clear, though, while I power up the systems."  
  
"Have at it then, EDI."  
  
Hearing the nerve-wracking buzz of incoming Collectors, she sprinted to a spot she had noticed earlier that she could use as a good sniper's hole - the bed of a truck off to the far side.  Motioning to Garrus and Jack to take cover, they lay in wait until they had the enemy in their sights.  A stress-induced migraine blurred the edges of her vision as wave after wave of these things came after them in an area that wasn't set up for the best in defensive positioning.  Kara slumped down in the back of the truck after a few moments of peace.  
  
"Damn, that was rough."  
  
"Power at eighty percent, Shepard.  The guns should be online shortly."  
  
"Thanks, EDI."  
  
"Shit, looks like they brought out the big guns," she heard Garrus mutter over the comm. link.  Gazing over the edge of her cover, she swallowed hard as the Praetorian landed in the middle of the field.  
  
"We'll take this fucker out, no problem," Jack hollered, forgetting that the comm. was voice activated, and nearly deafened both Kara and the turian in the process.  
  
"Well, didn't need my hearing anyway, I guess," she muttered, low enough that the voice activation system wouldn't pick it up while switching to the Cryo-Blaster she had strapped to her back.  Hopefully between it, her Incinerate ability, and her team, they could take the Praetorian out as quickly and painlessly to them as possible.  
  
The moment the beast breathed its last breath - if it breathed that is - she fell back on her ass as the ground beneath them began to shake almost violently.  The surface to air missiles began firing at the Collector ship from the defense towers stationed along the outer length of the colony causing enough damage that the enemy pulled out of port.  
  
"Might as well head on back to the Normandy, Shepard.  Looks like they got what they came for," Garrus sighed as he approached her.  
  
"Damnit!" Kara narrowed her eyes on the departing ship.  
  
"No!  You can't let them get away!" the mechanic they had met earlier screamed at them as he stared up at the departing ship.  
  
"That ship is huge.  How exactly are we supposed to catch it?" Kara growled, looking over at the man, her earlier weariness gone.  
  
"Half the colony is in there!  You gotta do something!"   
  
"I did my best.  You just hid in your damned bunker like the coward you are."  
  
"What was I supposed to do, shake my wrench at them?"  
  
"Would have been better than curled up in a little ball crying for your mother," she snapped, taking a step toward him.  Jack snickered behind her, while Garrus lay his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"If it wasn't for Shepard, you'd all be on board that ship," Garrus said to the man, his claws slightly digging into Kara as she struggled against wanting to rip the guy's head off.  
  
"Shepard.  I know that name.  Some big Alliance hero, right?"  
  
"Commander Shepard.  Captain of the Normandy, first human Spectre, and savior of the Citadel.  You're in the presence of a legend, Delan… and a ghost," Kaidan stated as he approached the group.  
  
"Figures.  All the good ones get taken and you're the one they left behind.  Screw this, I'm done with you Alliance types," Delan bitched, walking away.  
  
"I thought you were dead, Kara.  We all did," Kaidan said, walking up to her and pulling her into a hug.  Stiffening for a moment, she awkwardly hugged him in return, patting his back as she removed herself from his embrace.  
  
"Long time no see, Kaidan.  How ya been?" she grinned at her old friend.  
  
"Is that all you have to say?  You've been gone for two years.  Two years!  Why didn't you contact me, let me know you were alive?"  
  
Kara blinked at his vehement tone and took a step back toward Garrus and Jack.  
  
"I was clinically dead, Kaidan.  It took two years to bring me back.  It's not like I had access to a comm. terminal in the land of spirits to say 'Hey, I'm being rebuilt, see ya in twenty-four months' okay?  Trying to get on with my own life is difficult enough while learning what changed and what didn't, and it didn't help that Anderson considered your assignment so hush-hush that he couldn't even trust me with the details.  It's not like I didn't ask about you," she sighed.  
  
"The only reason he wouldn't tell you is if the rumors that you were working for Cerberus were true…" Kaidan began.  
  
"I'd say it's the other fucking way around, dude.  More like they're working with her, for her, whatever the fuck.  All I know is, the Council and your Alliance fucked her over, left her for dead, and she's stuck with this shit-hole of an organization so she can go after the damned Collectors.  I might want to blow Cerberus to hell and back, but at least they're doing shit," Jack said, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"So you're working with the enemy, huh?" Kaidan muttered.  
  
"We're working toward the same goal, but it doesn't mean I'm working for them.  I just want to get this Collector business taken care of and then I can go back home and get away from them."  
  
"Same goals or is that what they _want_ you to think?  They're messing with your head, Shepard.  Think of the coup it is for them to have you working for them instead of the Alliance.  Who knows, maybe they're the ones behind all this.  I can't believe you turned your back on everything we believed in!"  
  
"I didn't turn my back on shit!  Sure, they spent billions of credits rebuilding me and the Normandy.  Sure they're funding this whole mission.  Had I not seen proof of what the Collectors were doing, I would have walked away," she sighed, pulling off her gloves and tucking them under her armpit so she could run her fingers through her hair.  "I can't walk away, Kaidan.  Not with the thousands of lives these things have already taken, the hundreds of colonies that are now left bare, and the quarian who is so scarred from seeing what they did to a colony he was assisting during his Pilgrimage that he's now a basket case.  You know me.  You know I wouldn't do something like this unless I had a good reason to,"   
  
"No, from what I can see you betrayed the Alliance… you betrayed me and our friendship, and from what I can see, whoever the man is who gave you that ring," he shook his head as he looked at her.  
  
"Gods, could you be any more dense, Kaidan!  To quote my favorite, if only, mess sergeant on the SR2, you've got your head so deep up your butt-pucker that you can't see shit!  I'm out there busting my ass to save the universe and all you can do is think about how this affects you?  And as far as the man whose ring I wear, he's flying my ship and with me til the end, just like he was on the SR1 so no betrayal there, sweetpea.  He gets what I'm doing and supports me.  I've always loved Joker, Kaidan.  He's the reason I kept turning you down."  
  
"Wait a minute.  You're engaged to Joker?  Jeff Moreau, Joker?" Jealousy twisted like a hot knife in his heart.  
  
"Know any other Jokers out there?  Yeah, I'm engaged to him.  Now, since you seem so hell bent on telling me what a horrific person I am for taking the money of an organization I can't stand just so everyone gets to live a few days longer before the Collectors come back, or gods forbid, the Reapers, I think I'm going to head back to him, if you don't mind."  
  
"Kara…" Kaidan called after her as she walked away, motioning for the others to follow.  Without looking behind her, she gave him the finger, smirking as she noticed Jack doing the same.  Kaidan watched Kara and her team disappear, sorrow in his chocolate brown eyes as he realized that not only had he lost her as a potential mate, but the friend she had been to him as well.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"What an ass.  So much for friendship, huh?" Joker grouched as he felt Kara's hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Eh, friend or not, he always was a bit of a stickler when it came to Alliance shit."  
  
"Kinda makes you wish you had taken your time through there, doesn't it?" he grinned up at her.  
  
"Nah I'll let him live with the fact that he was there, they were taken, and a Cerberus bitch had to save the day," she chuckled.  
  
"That's my girl," he reached up to pat her hand then thread his fingers through hers.  
  
"Any destination in mind, or can I just pick one since we need to get the hell out of here before that Alliance frigate notices us?"  
  
"Anywhere the wind takes us, love, is good enough for me.  Even if there isn't any actual wind out there unless blowhard's huffing too much at me flipping him off."  
  
Laughing, Joker powered up the FTL drives and sat back, randomly tapping out a course for the ship to follow.  The two grinned at each other, relaxing in pure silence, as the events from earlier seemed to grow ever more distant the further they got from Horizon.


	9. Normandy SR-1

He hadn't seen her all day.  She'd been uncharacteristically quiet ever since they swung by the Citadel to pick up a package as requested by Admiral Hackett.  He knew she was down in the cargo bay, sitting beside the odd metal statue, her eyes never wavering from the thing.  He kept switching to the vid feed to the room just to watch her, his heart twisting for reasons he couldn't understand.  
  
"Joker, set a course for Alchera, please," her voice startled him from his concentration on the vid in front of him, the lack of emotion in it setting off warning bells.  
  
"Did I just hear you correctly?  You want me to go to Alchera?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You okay, Kara?" he asked.  
  
"Not by a long shot.  Just… please?"  
  
"All right," he sighed, his hands shaking as he input the coordinates, turning the Normandy around to take them back to where he had lost both of his babies.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
For once Kelly Chambers wasn't her usual exuberant self.  She and the rest of the crew could tell something was a bit off with their Commander.  While not the easiest woman to get along with, Kara had been warming up lately and smiles had been coming with more regularity to the woman's face.  Today, however, she had been silent, moving around the ship as if nothing more than a ghost.  Kelly glanced over toward where Joker sat stiffly in the pilot's chair, his eyes snapping from screen to screen, almost hypervigilant in regards to every single speck of dust that flew past the Normandy.  Stepping up behind him, she looked at the pleasant blue glow that seemed to emanate from the planet below.  
  
"It's so soothing," she said, her voice soft with awe.  
  
"And deadly as fuck around here," Joker stated, his voice harsh.  "But, that's just my opinion.  No need to take my word on it just because I said so."  
  
"Where are we?"  
  
"Alchera."  
  
"Joker, I'm ready for launch.  Please open the bay doors," Kara's voice came through the console.  He caught the slight waver to her voice that the woman beside him didn't seem to notice, too enthralled by the planet staring at her from outside the windows.  With a few taps of his fingers, he did as requested, feeling as if he were fighting for every breath afforded him as he watched the Kodiak hurtle toward the graveyard below.  
  
"Why are we here?" Kelly asked, snapping him back to the present.  Turning to look at the redhead behind him, he sighed.  
  
"I'm not exactly sure, other than it has something to do with that statue we picked up at the Citadel.  Something Admiral Hackett asked the Commander to do."  
  
"Did something special happen here?"  
  
"You could say that," he whispered.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're serious, aren't you?" He turned the chair around to stare up at Kelly, his eyes wide with shock.  "I'm surprised you don't already know, with how well the Illusive Man supposedly briefed you on the members of the crew."  
  
"I think he already knew how Shepard would react to my presence so her profile was not as extensive as the others, same with yours.  Only Ms. Lawson knows the full details," the Yeoman stated, folding her arms over her chest.  
  
"This is where the Normandy was destroyed, where Kara died, and where I lost them both."  
  
"Oh.  Oh!  I'm so sorry Joker," Kelly murmured, placing her hand on his shoulder.  Joker shrugged away from her touch, leaning forward in his chair as he swiveled back toward the console, hoping she got the message.  She sighed and dropped her hand back down to her side.  Shooting him a sad smile, she turned and walked out of the cockpit, leaving the man to his memories.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kara wasn't as prepared as she thought for the impact the destroyed ship would have on her.  Grief crushed her chest as she banked, flying over the wreckage as she looked for a clear spot to land.  Her knees were unsteady as she stepped out of the Kodiak, her breath hitching as she tried to hold back her tears.  A glint of light sparkling off to the side caught her eye and she turned toward it, falling to her knees as her hands dug away the snow to uncover the rest of a set of dog tags.  Her resolve set, she vowed to recover as many as she could while searching for a good spot for the memorial Hackett had asked her to place at the crash site.  How they thought this would be an honor to her, to be the first to set foot on this hunk of rock, was beyond her.  If anything, she would do her best to honor those who fell during that attack.  
  
As she wandered the area, stepping over piles of debris, she collected whatever dog tags she could find.  Her eyes misted over as she found a section of the ship on which the Normandy's name still stood tall and proud, declaring who she was to anyone who saw her when she was parked in her assigned spot, Dock 422, on the Citadel.  
  
"You were a home for us, girl.  The new one, she's not you.  She's bigger, getting some upgrades to strengthen her against another Collector attack, but she's not you.  I miss you, sweetie," Kara sniffled as she patted the side of the ship.  Walking around, she unearthed a few more tags, adding them to the growing bunch she held in her hand.  A shiver coursed through her body as she found the old cockpit, images of her, Joker, and Kaidan bullshitting with each other during one of their many missions playing through her mind.  More memories came to play as she found other partially intact areas of the Normandy such as the mess hall and sleeper pods.  
  
Kara let out a soft - but watery - bark of laughter as she walked into the side of the Mako, so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see the 'Beast', as her crew had nicknamed it, until it caught her in the shoulder.  If only there were a place for the SR2 to land, she'd find a way to drive this gem on board, remembering the shrieks of terror and laughter of her squad mates every time she took the wheel.  
  
"You were a source of much teasing among the crew, and all of it directed at me.  Not my fault if we almost catapulted off the side of the Exo-Geni skyway.  The wind was atrocious that day, wasn't it, baby?  I'll find some way to get you off this blasted planet if it's the last thing I do.  I promise."  
  
As she leaned back against the Mako, her eyes scanning the landscape one last time, her gaze lingered over another familiar section of wreckage.  Patting the side of the vehicle, she walked over to the mass of twisted metal, closing her eyes as she leaned up against the old map console.  She could still vividly picture the old CIC and hear the sounds of chatter around her as the crew talked among themselves while monitoring their consoles.  As if part of a vid reel, the last major argument she had with Pressly flitted through her mind.  He was complaining yet again about the number of non-humans aboard the Normandy, too set in his ways to hear what she had to say in regards to how Saren and his plan was a problem beyond the scope of humanity.    
  
Opening her eyes, she studied the mess in front of her.  Something caught the corner of her vision and she scurried  over to a datapad lying amid the debris.  As she ran her fingers over the entry keys, it flickered to life.  Her eyes burned as she listened to two of the entries, a laugh turned sob catching in her throat as she heard Pressly crabbing yet again about the 'aliens' she had been bringing on board, wondering if the Normandy were becoming a zoo.  The third entry had tears spilling down her cheeks and fogging up the inside of her helmet.  
  
 _"… for a while now, and I'm taking a look back at past entries in this journal.  I … how blind I was at the time.  I came on this ship firmly believing humanity was on its own in the galaxy … Shepard brought all these aliens on board, and there's no way we could have accomplished what we did without them.  I am proud to say ... die for any member of this crew, regardless of what world they were born on."_  
  
"They felt the same about you, Pressly, even if you didn't always see eye to eye," she sniffled, tucking the datapad under her arm.  Doing a last walk around the area, she snatched up her old N7 helmet, then made her way toward the Kodiak.  She set everything reverently on her seat before maneuvering the monument to a spot she had found earlier set in the middle of the majority of the wreckage.  Running her hand lightly over the curved brass that ended in a small model of the ship, she looked around, feeling as though she had aged ten years while roaming the Normandy's resting place.  While understanding the Alliance's want to have a memorial where so many lost their lives, she hoped that she would be the last person to set foot down here.  Sending up a prayer that those who died did so quickly and without much pain, and that they found the heavens of their gods, she blindly stumbled back to the Kodiak, the tears making sight near impossible.  Grabbing up what she had left on her seat, she moved the helmet and datapad to the co-pilot's chair, keeping the dog tags clenched in her fist as she powered up and lifted off as soon as her vision cleared.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The moment the docking bay doors closed behind the Kodiak, Joker handed the controls over to Hadley and made his way as quickly as he could toward the bay.  He waited, watching for the hatch to open, growing more concerned the longer he stood there with no movement from the vehicle.  The moment he felt his fingernails digging into his palms, stress and worry causing him to clench his hands, he decided enough was enough and walked over to the Kodiak.  He lifted the hatch and staggered as her weight hit him, her body rocketing off the seat and into his arms.  Hearing her muffled sobs, his hands fumbled, working the clasps that held her helmet on, then pulled it off and tossed it inside the Kodiak to land beside the pilot's seat.  She tilted her face up toward him, her eyes red and puffy from the tears pooling out of her eyes to flow down her cheeks.  The blue-grey orbs were lifeless, telling of the emotional upheaval she had dealt with down at the crash site.  Gently removing himself from her arms, he looked at what she still had clenched in her hands.  He felt bile rising into his throat when he saw her old N7 helmet, sending him back to the day he had seen her floating away from the disintegrating Normandy.  Sorrow etched lines into the corners of his eyes as he took in the dog tags dangling from her fist, though they lingered curiously on the datapad she had gripped alongside the helmet.  
  
"It," she swallowed hard, her jaw clenched as she fought back yet another sob.  "It was Pressly's," she rasped out, noticing the direction his eyes had gone.  
  
"Damn," Joker swore softly.  
  
"They've all been honored now.  Just need to get these back to Hackett so their families can be officially informed," she hiccupped, her hand tightening even more around the chains.  Taking a step forward, she stumbled.  Joker wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against his side so she could lean on him for a change, and escorted her out of the docking bay.  Pressing the button for the elevator, he took her to the loft, nudging her inside and setting her on the edge of the bed.  As gently as he could, he pried her fingers from the items she carried then set about stripping off her armor.  She sat there, silent and limp, as he busied himself with putting his flight-school shirt on her, knowing how it had become her favorite piece of clothing to wear, then letting her hair down.  Picking up a wide-toothed comb, he sat behind her on the bed and ran it through her hair, his heart heavy at how quiet and unmoving she was.  
  
"They were mine, Jeff, and they died.  Twenty tags for twenty lives.  They were mine and I lost them," her breathing hitched and she let out a strangled moan.  "That doesn't include those the Alliance already knew about such as Pressly and the Ensign who used to sit behind Kaidan.  They trusted in me and they're gone…"  
  
Setting the comb down, Joker rested his chin on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her waist.  Pulling her up against him, he rocked her gently back and forth, holding her as she turned in his arms to bury her face in his chest.  Her tears soaked through the material of his on-board civs, her body shaking so hard that he almost worried she would somehow end up breaking something inside.  He ran his hands lightly over her back as he tucked her head under his chin.  
  
"It's not your fault, Kara.  We were expecting geth, prepared for geth.  What happened to us was not something we were able to handle.  We all did what we could to save as many lives as possible.  Blame the Collectors, not yourself, love.  We'll be better prepared next time and pay them back for what they did to you, to me, and to those who lost their lives to them."  
  
The tension in her body eased and her grip on him loosened as she began to relax.  
  
"Could you do me a favor, Joker?"  
  
"Anything."  
  
"Find a way to keep the crew away from me for the rest of the day.  And," her mouth twisted into a grimace as she paused, hating to ask for any kind of medicinal aid, "And see if you can get something from Chakwas to keep the dreams at bay.  I want to sleep, I need to sleep right now, but I don't want what I just saw to haunt me."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"We need to head back to the Citadel so I can turn the tags into Anderson.  He can find a way to get them to Hackett, I'm sure."  
  
"I'll set a course then see if someone can cover for me.  I don't want to leave you alone right now."  
  
"I don't want to be alone right now."  
  
"I'll be back as quickly as I can."  
  
Kara removed herself from his arms, kissing Joker's cheek softly as she repositioned herself on the bed, curling up into a tight fetal position.  He stood, reaching over to run his fingers lightly through her hair before he turned to exit their room.  His eyes were somber as he made his way past the crew sitting in the mess hall towards Miranda's office.  
  
"What can I do for you, Mr. Moreau," Miranda asked as he stepped inside.  
  
"Since you're her XO, I need you to cover for Shepard for the rest of the day.  I'm also leaving someone else at the helm once I get the Normandy on a return course for the Citadel.  Let people know I'm not above using my old crutches to bore them a new asshole if they don't leave her alone, got it?"  
  
"Understood.  Going back there, that can't have been easy for her."  
  
"It wasn't which is why I'm asking if you could make sure she isn't bothered."  
  
"Of course."  
  
Nodding, he crossed the mess toward the med bay.  The look on Chakwas' face as he entered was enough to let him know that she was already aware of where Kara had gone.  
  
"How is she, Jeff?"  
  
"Hurting.  Blaming herself.  I think I got through to her enough for her to realize that none of it was her fault."  
  
"Let her know I'm always here if she wants to talk."  
  
"I think I'll have her do that.  She knows you and trusts you.  Kelly she's not too comfortable around."  
  
"I think that young woman tries too hard and loves too easily for anyone to take her very seriously," Chakwas chuckled softly.  
  
"Oh you're not kidding.  But, I'm here because Kara wanted to know if there was something she could take so she could sleep peacefully.  She's afraid of being haunted by dreams of what she encountered down there."  
  
"Poor girl," the doctor sighed.  She walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a small bottle and an envelope.  After shaking a few tablets into the envelope, she replaced the bottle on the shelf and closed the cabinet, returning to Joker and handing him the small parcel.  
  
"Tell her to take one before she goes to sleep.  Only one.  If that doesn't work, then have her report to me.  Taking more than the recommended dose could cause neural damage."  
  
"Thanks, doc.  I'll see about sending her down to see you tomorrow."  
  
"You do that."  
  
With the medicine in hand, he went about his business plotting a course for the Citadel and setting up his replacements for the next day or two.  As he returned to the loft, he found Kara lying in the same position she had been when he left her, her eyes still open and staring at the dog tags sitting on the bedside table.  Grabbing a tube of water from the mini fridge in her office, he made his way to the bed and sat down beside her.  
  
"Doc says to take only one of these before going to sleep.  Any more than that could cause neural damage."  
  
" 'Kay," she said, sitting up and taking the tube of water as he shook out one of the pills into the palm of her hand.  While she took the medicine, he picked up the tags, setting those and the packet of sleeping aids on the table in the far corner of the room, out of her line of sight.  
  
"Hold me, please?" she asked, the tremor in her voice tugging at him.  He walked over to his side of the bed and made quick work of his boots and uniform, sliding beneath the covers and pulling them up to cover her as well.  His arms wrapped around her as she rolled over to curl up against his side.  Closing his eyes, he held her close as she slipped off into sleep, hoping that the meds did their work so she could have the peace she so desperately needed.


	10. Barn Animals

Kara curled up at one of the terminals behind Joker in the cockpit, her chin resting on her knees as she glared at the screen in front of her.  
  
"Y'know, glare at it too hard and you'll end up breaking it," Joker's voice was laced with warm humor as he swung around in his chair to watch her.  Her hair was a mess from all the times she'd run her fingers through it or tugged at it in annoyance.  
  
"Better that than my face staying this way the rest of my life, though maybe that's not a bad thing either.  People might leave me alone then," she grumped.  
  
"So you're not up here because you're addicted to my bubbly personality?  You're using me to hide?"  
  
"Hey, everyone knows you're not a people person so it's the best place to go.  If I try to hide in our room, they'll just bother me up there since they know you're here and we're not doing anything they could interrupt."  
  
"And she uses me yet again.  That hurts my heart," he mock sighed as he swiveled forward to face his console, though he watched her from the corner of his eye.  The grin she cracked resulted in one of his own, turning into a sigh of happiness as she uncurled herself from the chair to approach him and wrap her arms around him while resting her head on his shoulder.  
  
"It's just that now that I've done what Hackett requested on Alchera and turned the dog tags in to Anderson, everyone thinks I'm fine now and available for me to bombard with their needs and requests.  On top of all that, I have more dossiers to look at that the Illusive Man forgot to include with the first bunch.  I think he added one, though, because when I first talked to him about Tali, he didn't think she was trustworthy enough to bring along after Freedom's Progress."  
  
"Tali?  We're getting Tali back?  That's great!  I always liked her."  
  
"If she'll come with.  I don't know the whole story but it seems as though Cerberus infiltrated the Flotilla and blew up one of their ships.  There's bad blood there and I wouldn't blame her for turning me down."  
  
"Kara, she wouldn't join for them, she'd join for you.  She looked up to you like you were her big sister or something."  
  
"I love that kid.  Next to you, she was one of my best friends on the Normandy.  I hope you're right," she sighed, kissing his cheek before she leaned back to take her usual seat on EDI's panel.  
  
"So what's this shit about people burdening you with their requests?  Want me to break a crutch over their heads?  I'll do it, too!" Joker turned to watch her, frowning at the dark circles under her eyes.  
  
"Jacob wants to check out something about his father's old ship, the Hugo Gernsback.  Miranda has some shit going on with her sister and needs to relocate her.  Mordin thinks an old student of his is in trouble on Tuchanka and Grunt is acting strange so a visit with Wrex wouldn't hurt.  On top of that, Jack wants to blow up the research facility she was raised in as a child.  Garrus is the only one I wouldn't mind helping right now and it has to do with why he was holed up by himself on Omega.  Luckily we haven't left the Citadel yet so that one shouldn't be too much trouble since I guess his old friend Sidonis is around here somewhere.  Oh, and Zaeed still needs to finish the job he picked up before we recruited him.  I'm ok with helping him since it's something I was aware of before we pulled out of Omega's port."  
  
"Damn, all that plus picking up new people?  Just wait until they find out you're just a marshmallow under that bad-ass persona and start asking you for help too."  
  
"If that gets out, I'm telling the crew you're sweet as sugar behind your smart-assed mouth and actually like people more than you admit to."  
  
"You wouldn't!" Joker's eyes went wide, though his lips quivered as he fought to hide his grin.  
  
"As long as you don't give up my secrets," she smirked.  
  
"It was that Yeoman, Ms. Chambers, I swear!"  
  
"Now that I could easily believe.  She keeps hounding me about team building exercises and how I should open myself up more to the people around me," Kara grumbled.  "Doesn't she realize that I can't always walk around with a smile on my face or let everyone know every single thing about me?  That could diminish my effectiveness as a leader.  As far as team building exercises, that's called working together ground-side.  You get to know your people quite well when there's bullets flying everywhere."  
  
"You should take her down on one of your runs," he snickered.  
  
"Oh that would go over well.  She'd either scream and run around like a lunatic or try to hug every alien in sight."  
  
"Probably try to do more than hug them," Joker chuckled.  
  
"I think she's the reason we have that scale itch on board that Mordin told me about.  Some are trying to blame Jack, but I don't see her sleeping with a varren and according to our salarian scientist, that's the only way this stuff can be contracted," Kara frowned.  
  
"Oh now that's just disgusting."  
  
"Yeah, I'd rather wake up after a night spent drinking to find Saren in my bed than sleep with a varren."  
  
"You'd better wake up either in an empty bed or with me beside you," Joker grumbled.  
  
"Well since you're the only one I'd ever get that drunk around, those are the only two possibilities," she grinned at him.  
  
"I know, I know.  So, what's the plan after you help Garrus out?" he asked.  
  
"Haestrom.  If Tali will come with us, I want her to be our next priority."  
  
"If you're heading to Haestrom, Shepard, be aware that the radiation from the sun will burn through your shields and cause them to fail.  Stick to the shadows when you can," EDI stated, her blue globe popping up in such a way as to look as if she were holding Kara's waist hostage.  
  
"Ok, now that just looks weird," Joker gurgled out a laugh.  
  
"She's sitting on my console, Mr. Moreau.  I have no other recourse other than what you see here."  
  
"Eh, at least it's just a hologram, Joker," Kara grinned. "And thank you for your advice, EDI.  Talk about a hell of a sunburn if I stay out in the sun too long there," she chuckled.  The two stared at each other, then at the globe surrounding Kara, as an almost 200 year old song came through the speakers in regards to always wearing sunscreen.  He began laughing first, with her chiming in and almost falling off her perch and onto his chair.  
  
"Where in the blazes did you find that, EDI?" Kara gasped, trying to catch her breath.  
  
"It was on one of those radio stations that Mr. Moreau listens to when he thinks no one else is watching," the AI replied.  
  
"I thought you said they were crap, hon," she grinned, wiping tears from her eyes.  
  
"Not all of them," he mumbled, though he still smiled.  
  
"You wouldn't have any of _The Offspring_ in your databanks then, would you, EDI?  I found them one night when I couldn't sleep and was trying to find a good station.  Decent music for 1990's punk."  
  
Before either of them could speak, the ship was filled with "Pretty Fly for a White Guy", sending the two off into gales of laughter again.  
  
"Priceless!  Thank you, EDI."  
  
"You are welcome, Shepard."  
  
"Ok, now that we've had our laugh, I need you to do something for me, Kara," Joker said, his tone serious as he looked at her.  
  
"What's that?" she asked, tilting her head to one side as she looked at him curiously.  
  
"Since we're staying over so you can help Garrus, we're going to leave this ship and head to the apartment so you can get some sleep without people bothering you.  You look tired, Kara."  
  
The moment the words left his mouth, she let out a huge yawn.  
  
"See, that's what I'm talking about.  You really haven't slept well the past couple of weeks and if we're gonna get any of this shit done, you need some."  
  
"You just wanna practice your docking techniques where there's no chance of interruption," she chuckled.  
  
"Well there _is_ that.  I think I've got everything down perfect, but the process of pulling into port can be such a tricky business," he waggled his brows at her, causing her to giggle.  
  
"Let me pack up some of our things and let Garrus know where to meet me in the morning."  
  
"Just make sure he doesn't tell the world where I live or we'll get no rest."  
  
"Actually I was going to have him meet me at the C-Sec office."  
  
"That's even better.  Hey, while you're packing, I'll head out of here and pick us up some carry-out and a vid.  Have ourselves like a date night or something, just without the masses of people," he said.  
  
"Sounds good.  I'll meet you back at your apartment," she smiled, kissing him softly as she slipped off EDI's console.  
  
"Our apartment.  Anderson added you to the lease when he learned of our engagement," he mumbled, his cheeks turning pink at the look of shock on her face.  
  
"Our apartment?  As in yours and mine?  A place to call home, with you?" she ducked her head, letting her hair cover the tears starting to well in her eyes.  He reached up to cup her chin and turn her face so he could look at her.  The moment their eyes met, her lips descended on his, locking them in a heated embrace.  He pulled back first, his touch gentle as he pushed back her hair and tucked it behind her ears.  
  
"Yes, yours and mine, ours.  A place for us to kick back and relax when we need to.  It's already been coded to your voice and fingerprints."  
  
"Wow," she breathed, her smile wide.  "I'll see you back there in a bit.  I can't believe it's mine now, too!  Love you!"  
  
Kara placed a quick kiss on his lips then ran off to pack for the two of them.  Joker grinned as he watched her disappear, chuckling to himself as he turned back to the console to quickly plug in an order to his favorite Chinese carry-out restaurant.  
  
"Mr. Moreau, the Normandy's systems are not intended for personal use," the AI seemed to sigh.  
  
"Geez, EDI, can't you lay off just once?  It'll help me save time and I want to make sure Kara gets the rest she needs.  The quicker I can get the food and vid, the faster I'm back at the apartment and making sure she's taking time to relax," Joker snapped.  
  
"I apologize, Mr. Moreau.  You are correct in your assessment that Shepard requires rest.  Her vitals indicate a collapse in the near future if she does not take care of herself."  
  
"And that's why I did what I did, which will soon end up being a waste because I'm standing here arguing with you instead of leaving to pick the stuff up."  
  
"Commander Shepard and Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau have departed the Normandy.  Operative Miranda Lawson is now the acting XO," EDI reported in response to the pilot's statement.  Joker grunted appreciatively and made his way off of the ship, muttering under his breath about stubborn, obstinate artificial intelligence programs.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Empty cartons of Chinese carry-out littered the coffee table in front of them.  Kara stretched out on the couch with her head pillowed on Joker's thigh and her hands lightly clutching her stomach.  
  
"Gods, I think I ate as much food as a biotic.  Why didn't you stop me from stuffing myself?" she groaned.  
  
"I was having too much fun watching you enjoy the food.  And just think, popcorn with the vid is next," he grinned down at her.  
  
"Are you trying to make me explode?  Do you actually think I could stuff even one kernel inside this overfull belly of mine?  I'm still trying to figure out where you pack it all since you ate more than I did and you're fine."  
  
"I have a good metabolism is all."  
  
"Good metabolism my ass.  I swear you're like a cow or something with an extra stomach hidden around here somewhere," Kara grumbled, though her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him.  
  
"Moooooooooo," Joker replied, his lips twitching as he looked down at her.  He ran his fingers lightly over her forehead and through her hair, sighing a bit in relief as what little tension she had held onto drained away, smoothing out the worry lines on her forehead and around her eyes.  
  
"Great, I'm marrying a barn animal," she snickered.  
  
"Makes you wonder if any kids we have will end up more bovine like dad or come out braying like their mother."  
  
"You… you didn't… are you calling me an ass?"   
  
"No, just sayin' what you sound like when you're shouting out orders 'n shit," he laughed, ducking out of the way as she swatted at him.  
  
"Hee-hawww," she spluttered out as she laughed.  
  
"See!  Even you admit it," Joker grinned.  
  
"Shit…" Kara rolled her eyes though her lips quivered as she held back another laugh.  "Ahh damn, I so needed this," she sighed, curling up on her side as she continued to use his thigh as a pillow, her hands gripped lightly over the jean-clad skin.  
  
"You're welcome," he murmured, resuming the finger combing of her hair that he had been doing earlier.  
  
"So where's the vid and the popcorn?  I think my dinner has settled enough that I could snarf down a handful or two."  
  
"Well, you see, I have this gorgeous blonde who has wrapped herself around my leg and I can't exactly get up to make the popcorn."  
  
"Tell the bitch to let you go then," she chuckled.  
  
"She'd kick my ass.  She's like this big deal Commander who saved the Citadel and Council 'n shit."  
  
"I can take her on.  I'll wipe the floor with her for touching my pilot," Kara grinned, sitting up so Joker could stand.  Laughing, he leaned down to press his lips lightly against hers then turned to make his way to the kitchen.  Kara propped her elbows up on the back of the couch to watch him as he left, letting out a whistle of appreciation.  
  
"Just as gorgeous in the back as you are from the front."  
  
"I swear you're only with me because you like my bubble-butt as you call it."  
  
"And a fine one it is.  Too bad you spend so much time sitting on it," she cackled from the living room.  
  
"See if I share my popcorn with you, wench!" he called out as the scent of the exploding kernels wafted out to where she was seated.  
  
"Oh now that's just wrong," she sniffled, peeking over the edge of the couch at him with sad puppy-dog eyes as he stuck his head out of the kitchen to stare at her.  
  
"Yeah, you definitely needed this.  My Kara and her sharp wit have returned," he smiled, earning a bit of a wobbly one from her, then popped back into the kitchen to dump the now popped popcorn into a bowl.  Grabbing it, he returned to his seat, sighing in contentment as she curled up against his side the moment his butt hit the cushion.  
  
"So which vid did you pick out of the ones I brought back with me?" Joker asked.  
  
"The comedy.  I've got too much drama to deal with on the Normandy between Miranda and Jack, enough action with our little run ins with the Collectors, and our lives are close enough to a science fiction feature that I don't want to relive it.  I need to laugh," she sighed, resting her cheek on his shoulder.  Nodding, he ordered the vid to start playing and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, setting the bowl of popcorn down on his lap as the movie began to play.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Damnit, Shepard, you cost me my only chance to get a shot at that bastard!" Garrus growled as he stalked after her onto the Normandy.  
  
"Couldn't you tell that he was already dead just by listening to him speak?" she shot back, her eyes blazing as she looked over her shoulder at her turian friend.  
  
"Then you should have let me finish what he started!"  
  
"And let you end up like that ass Harkin who was so caught up in his own need for revenge against C-Sec that he turned against everything he had once been?  Do you honestly believe I'd let a friend do that to himself?"  
  
Joker watched as Garrus followed angrily behind Kara into the elevator, their raised voices loud enough that, while he couldn't catch the rest of the conversation between them, he could hear the echo from inside the cockpit.  As the two went at it, he hoped that Kara would be able to calm the turian down and possibly help remove the stick from the alien's ass that had been a constant resident ever since her recruitment of 'Archangel'.  
  
"You had no right to keep me from plugging Sidonis between his eyes," Garrus continued, on her heels as she entered the loft.  
  
"I had every right!  You're my best friend, Garrus!  While I believe in dispensing justice no matter what road I have to take to do it, you didn't see what I saw down there.  Either that or you purposely overlooked what came through that sniper scope of yours when you focused on his face.  He didn't betray you and the others because he wanted to.  It was done because his own life was in jeopardy from the same people who took out the rest of your crew."  
  
"Spirits," he sighed, removing his gaze from her face to the floor between them.  
  
"I don't want you to lose yourself in this need for revenge.  Killing him wouldn't have made things better.  If you'd gone through with it, my friend would be gone and in his place would be someone with blood on his hands and an empty soul."  
  
"By the stars, Shepard, you're right.  I'm sorry.  Between losing you and then the team, I guess a good part of me went with it.  You always did know how to make me see sense."  
  
"I fight for those I care about, Garrus.  You're my best friend, my brother, my family where I once had none.  You've been that for me since we chased after Saren.  There was no way I was going to let you go into a dark place like that.  I've been there.  Hell, sometimes I find myself back there."  
  
"Thank you," he murmured, looking down at the human woman before him.  
  
"Now go get your ugly turian ass back to the forward batteries and get to work on calibrating that Thanix Cannon we finally got the materials to build," her lips trembled as she fought between a grin and the tears that threatened to overwhelm her at how close she came to losing her friend to revenge.  
  
"You guys ok in there or do I need to send Grunt in to mediate?" Joker's voice floated around them from the comm. system, the tone noticeably strained.  
  
"We're fine.  Thanks for checking up on us, Joker," Kara replied, her eyes never wavering from Garrus' face.  
  
"Good.  I don't trust that battering ram to not make matters worse if I were to send him in there, but I think he's the only one who could actually get the two of you apart if shit actually did happen."  
  
"Since I've got you, please set a course for Haestrom.  I'll catch you later, Joker.  Thanks again, hon."  
  
"Aye, aye, Commander.  Glad it's all taken care of," he replied.  
  
"Are we okay, Shepard?" Garrus asked.  
  
"We're fine, Garrus," she answered, patting his arm lightly.  The moment the door shut behind him, she curled up on the floor beneath the skylight, her eyes focused on the stars as they flew past.  
  
"Mother Fricka, while I've lost so much, even if I've gained the equivalent back, I ask that you guide us on our journey.  Sometimes trying to keep everyone together while doing what I must to abolish my enemies is almost too much.  Keep me strong, keep us strong.  Help my friends that they do not lose themselves to their inner demons such as Garrus almost did.  Please be with us every step of the way because I'm not ready for Valhalla just yet," she murmured.  Peace flowed through her as she gave herself up to the fate set out before her, the stars twinkling brighter as if the goddess were indeed responding to the heartfelt prayer.


	11. Radiation Poisoning

Kara fought back a moan as another wave of nausea hit her, severe enough that she almost doubled over behind the low stone wall she had been using for cover.  Thankfully it seemed as if Garrus and Grunt were holding their own against the mass waves of geth that continued to pour out from the nearby buildings.  Targeting a few of the weaker ones, Kara took out a small handful before collapsing back against the surprisingly cool, but rough, surface.  
  
"Shepard, you feeling all right?" Garrus asked, noticing her overly pale complexion.  
  
"I'll be fine.  Just remind me to visit Chakwas once we're back on the Normandy.  Even though I've been sticking to the shadows, I think the radiation might be getting to me."  
  
"Just let me know if you need anything."  
  
"Will do, Garrus.  For now though, don't worry about me.  Let's just concentrate on getting those charges and knocking out that wall so we can get to Tali.  She's our main priority.  The quicker we're done here, the faster we're on the Normandy and I'm on my way to the med bay."  
  
"Aye, aye, Shepard," the turian replied.  
  
"I am KROGAAAAAAN!" the tank born shouted, a gleeful battle rage in his eyes.  Both Kara and Garrus peered out from behind their cover as they saw Grunt rush forward toward a destroyer, shotgun in hand, and tearing chunks through the geth before it finally expired.  Kara chuckled softly as the youngling cleared out the rest of the hostiles, giving them the freedom to set the second charge and destroy the barrier keeping them from their quarian target.  
  
"Makes me glad I had Mordin research armor upgrades for Grunt," she said to Garrus, shaking her head slightly at the impetuous nature of their other squad member.  
  
"My battlemaster always makes sure I'm prepared," the krogran grinned over at Shepard.  
  
"Damned right I do!" she flashed him a smile.  
  
"He regenerates faster than Garm!  Makes me glad he's on our side," Garrus intoned.  
  
"He's my almost indestructible baby."  
  
Grunt snorted, rolling his eyes at Kara as they made their way into the building once the debris had been cleared.  
  
"Don't tell me you think of him as your child?" Garrus asked, his eyes flaring wide in shock.  
  
"Hey, why not?  Mother and battlemaster seem to work together quite well in his case."  
  
"I bet that goes over real well with Joker," the turian chuckled.  
  
"He's stronger than he looks and is a good match for Shepard," Grunt grunted.  "Not as squishy as you'd think."  
  
"Oh gods," Kara chuckled, though her hand gripped tightly over her stomach as nausea settled in again.  Sifting through the room, she stopped at one of the still working terminals and ran her fingers over the console, turning it on.  
  
 _"Our people used to walk these halls.  There's so much history here.  I wish my friends were here to share this with… I wish Shepard were here.  I miss them…"_  
  
"We're coming for you, Tali.  You won't be alone much longer," Kara whispered, her gaze locking with Garrus, noticing that their friend's words affected him too by the light sheen in his eyes.  
  
"Tali to base camp.  Come in base camp.  Is anybody there?"  
  
Kara raised her head, her gaze zeroing in on the lit up terminal near the door.  She pressed a series of buttons, opening up the communication channel.  
  
"Tali, it's Shepard."  
  
"Shepard?  What are you doing here?  Where are the others?"  
  
"I was in the neighborhood so figured I'd lend a hand.  Unfortunately the men stationed here didn't make it.  The others must have fallen back."  
  
"Damnit!  We knew this mission was high risk but…" the quarian sighed.  
  
"Give me your location, Tali.  Let me help.  I've got Garrus with me along with a krogan buddy of mine."  
  
"Head out the door and across the field.  I was able to make it to the Observatory, thanks to Kal'Reegar and some of the other marines.  I'm safe for the moment but there are a lot of geth outside."  
  
"Looks like someone sealed the door from this side and the console is damaged.  Can you get it open from your end?"  
  
"I should be able to.  Hold on a second… ahh, there you go.  It should be unlocked now.  Please, be careful and do what you can to keep Reegar alive."  
  
"Appreciate it, Tali.  I'll see you soon, just keep safe, all right?  And don't worry about your friend.  I'll make sure he gets through this."  
  
"I'll do my best, Shepard, and thanks."  
  
Kara looked between Garrus and Grunt as Tali's holo went dark.  
  
"Looks like we've got our job cut out for us.  Let's get a move on and get rid of these geth."  
  
"You got it, Shepard," Grunt replied, his eyes glinting with anticipation at the upcoming battle.  Punching the button, Kara opened the door, motioning with the others to move out.  The three of them crept through the stone hallways, Kara cloaking herself as they came to an open area.  Dashing to a nearby low wall, she took cover as drones flew in overhead.  Peeking out over the top of the crates, she inwardly winced at the cause of the heavy metallic footsteps further ahead.  
  
"Grunt, see what you can do about that Prime up ahead.  Try to soften it up for us, but if it gets too deep, pull back."  
  
The krogan grinned in response, slamming his fists together, before running off, shotgun at the ready.  Kara switched to the Widow and took out a few of the drones, blinking rapidly at the black spots that began to swim through her vision.  
  
"Shepard.  Shepard!" Garrus shouted, overloading the last drone as he ran over to her hiding place and grabbing onto her as she retched onto the stone floor beside her.    
  
"Spirits, Kara!  Do you think you can make it through this to get to Tali or should we call for the shuttle and send you back while Grunt and I finish this off?"  
  
"I got it.  I'm good," she groaned, her limbs trembling as she stood.  "Shouldn't be too much farther, I don't think."  
  
"What's going on down there?" Joker asked, his concern evident.  
  
"Possible radiation poisoning.  Almost at Tali though, sweetheart, so try not to worry too much.  Just please have Dr. Chakwas ready for me when we do get back to the Normandy."  
  
"Me?  Worry?  Nahh," he replied, though his tone said otherwise.  "Just hurry your bad self up down there and get back stat, k?"  
  
"Mmhmm.  Shepard out," she said.  Taking a deep breath she sprinted across the large patch of lit cement, slowing only when she met the coolness of shadow.  
  
"How's it going over here, Grunt?"  
  
"Took that one out but think there's another one lurking nearby."  
  
"Shit.  I hate geth," she muttered, ducking behind a metal barrier as the second one came into view.  The three of them whittled it down, turning it into a mess of metal and white, sticky goo.  Continuing forward, they decimated what was left of the drones, clearing their way toward yet another door.  Opening it, they found themselves in a small security room.  Kara hit the button to open the blinds, her eyes going wide as she saw the setup down below.  
  
"Oh shit," she groaned, ducking as the large machine in the back fired at them.  
  
"By the stars, it's a Colossus!" Garrus exclaimed.  
  
"Fuck me sideways," Kara sighed.  "Let's see if there are any of Tali's marines left down there before we head out," she said, laying low as she dashed past the open blinds and out the door.  Rounding the corner, she crouched next to the quarian and peeked around the wall to get a quick visual layout of the situation before looking back at the man beside her.  
  
"Who're you?"  
  
"Squad Leader Kal'Reegar of the Migrant Fleet Marines.  We talked on the radio before that drop ship arrived.  Still got no idea why you're here, but this ain't the time to be picky."  
  
"Where's Tali?"  
  
"She's inside, over there," Kal replied, nodding his head toward the building across the field.  "The geth killed the rest of my squad and they're trying to get to her.  Best I've been able to do is draw their attention."  
  
"Shit.  Today just keeps getting better and better," Kara groused.  "You sure she's still alive?"   
  
"The observatory is reinforced.  Even the geth will need time to get through it, and it's hard to hack a door when someone's firing rockets at you," Reegar chuckled, hopping up long enough to shoot another one at a crowd of hostiles making their way toward Tali's building.  
  
"There's a shitload of these bastards around here!"  
  
"Yeah, the geth are at near platoon strength.  The worst is that Colossus with its repair protocol.  It huddles up and repairs itself whenever it takes a direct enough hit."  
  
"Fuuuuuck," she groaned.  
  
"I can't get a clear shot when it's down like that.  Last time I tried to get closer, one of the bastards punched a shot clean through my suit."  
  
"You'd think I'd've learned by now that nothing is ever easy where I'm concerned.  Looks like we're gonna have ourselves some fun, guys."  
  
"This can't be any worse than taking down Sovereign," Garrus chuckled.  
  
"Doesn't mean I like it any better," she smirked.  Turning around, she looked at Kal, her eyes zeroing in on the hole.  
  
"How bad's the damage?"  
  
"Combat seals clamped down pretty quick to isolate contamination and I'm swimming in antibiotics.  The geth might get me but I'm not gonna die from an infection in the middle of battle.  That's just insulting."  
  
Kara grinned at him and shook her head.  
  
"You sound like me and a few others I know.  Seems like stubborn is what keeps us alive, eh?"  
  
"Yes ma'am!" the marine laughed in response.  
  
"So, which way would you suggest I take to get to Tali?"  
  
"Right side's got a catwalk that you could use as a sniper perch.  Downside is, while you could wreak havoc on what's down below, there's little to no protection from the sun and my men never made it past the geth.  The middle is the most direct route with the most cover, but you're in direct line of fire from the colossus and you've got hostiles coming at you from both sides.  The left pretty much shields you from the colossus but your ass is hanging out for the geth.  That's how I got shot."  
  
"Hrm," she mumbled and peered out over the edge of her cover to take another look at the field layout.  "Left side looks to be the best route, unfortunately.  I'm already dealing with radiation sickness so the catwalk is out, and I don't like the idea of that thing having me in its sights the entire time.  Got any other ideas of how to get to her?"  
  
"Just one.  I might not be moving too well but I can still pull a trigger and I've got a rocket launcher the sun hasn't fried yet.  You move in close.  I'll keep the colossus busy, maybe even drop its shields.  With luck you'll be able to finish it off."  
  
"You've done enough, Reegar.  No need to throw your life away.  Besides, I made Tali a promise that I'd do what I could to get you out of here alive."  
  
"Wasn't asking your permission, ma'am.  My job is to keep Tali safe.  This is our best shot."  
  
"We don't have enough people on our side for you to take one for the team!  Stand down, Reegar!" she ordered, pushing him back down when he tried to move past her.    
  
"I'm not going to stand there while you run into enemy fire!  They killed my whole squad!"  
  
"And if you want to honor your squad, you'll stay here and watch my back!  I need you here in case they bring in reinforcements!" she half snarled at him.  
  
"All right, Shepard," he sighed.  "We'll do it your way.  Hit them for me!  Keelah se'lai."  
  
Giving Reegar a pat on the shoulder, she motioned for Garrus and Grunt to move on ahead.  
  
"Let's clear the immediate area then head to the left.  Looks like we need to get up close and personal to the colossus to take it out."  
  
"Right behind you, Shepard," Grunt replied.  The three of them moved carefully through the maze, keeping an eye out for possible ambushes.  
  
"Got one!" Garrus crowed over the comm. as Kara came up out of cover just in time to get splattered with geth guts.  
  
"Thanks, Garrus!  Joker's gonna wanna know who I just did it with thanks to this crap that's now covering my armor.  Appreciate it!" she chuckled.  
  
"Y'know…" he replied, jokingly leering at her.  
  
"Oh stop it!  I don't know who's a worse perv on that ship now that you've decided to join the club."  
  
"I blame it on your fiancé.  Those asari vids he sends to me… stars!"  
  
Kara doubled over in laughter then shot up to take out a few geth before looking over at her friend.  
  
"He didn't tell you that it was me who chose those, did he?" she asked, watching him out of the corner of her eye for his reaction.  
  
"Spirits," he groaned, laying his head in his hand.  "I didn't need to know that."  
  
Grinning, she mimicked licking her finger and making a tick mark in the air.  
  
"Kara 1, Garrus 0."  
  
"This is going to be fun!" Grunt yelled out in excitement as he got his first close-up look of the colossus, halting whatever comment Garrus was about to make.  The metal beast focused its attention on them, sending them into cover.  
  
"I don't know that fun is the right word, but whatever you say, big boy," Kara sighed as she looked at the thing.  "Garrus, I'll need you to try and keep that fucker overloaded until we can drop its shields long enough for my Incinerate.  Grunt, just do what you do best and shoot the ever-living hell out of the bastard."  
  
As the battle raged on, Kara took a deep breath and let it out, feeling the edges of her eyesight going dark.  Fighting to keep the others from noticing her condition, she then rounded out of cover and lobbed an Incinerate at the colossus before opening fire from her position.  The minute it finally collapsed, the three of them breathed huge sighs of relief.  
  
"Shepard?  Is that you out there?" Tali's voice sounded out of the radio.  
  
"It's me, Tali.  You doing ok?"  
  
"They didn't get a chance to break in.  Give me a moment and I'll have the door open for you."  
  
Picking themselves up from where they had bunkered down, they made their way to the door of the Observatory, waiting until the lock glowed from red to green before entering.  Tali turned toward them as they approached, giving Kara a tight hug the moment she got close enough.  
  
"Thank you so much, Shepard.  I was worried they might actually get through, especially when they brought that colossus in.  If not for you, I might never have made it out of this room.  This whole mission has been a disaster.  I wish I had joined you when we met up on Freedom's Progress but I couldn't let anyone else take my place with something so risky," she sighed.  
  
"What's going on here?" Garrus asked.  
  
"The Admiralty Board wanted someone to do some research on Haestrom's sun.  It's destabilizing, aging far quicker than it should.  This isn't natural for a star this young.  The price for this data was too damned high though.  I lost many friends here, too many," Tali's voice became hard.  
  
"When you've turned in your data, would you be willing to join me on the Normandy?  I know how you feel about Cerberus, but I could really use your help."  Kara looked at her friend, shifting lightly from foot to foot while nervously awaiting Tali's answer.  
  
"For you, yes.  I promised to see this mission through.  I have.  I can leave with you and send the data on to the Fleet.  If the Admirals have a problem with it, they can go to hell.  I just watched the rest of my team die."  
  
"Maybe not the whole rest of your team, ma'am," Kal'Reegar said as he limped into the room.  
  
"Reegar, you made it!" Tali exclaimed.  
  
"Your old captain is as good as you said.  Damned colossus never stood a chance."  
  
Looking between the two of them, Kara's gaze fixed on the Migrant Fleet Marine.  
  
"If you need it, we'd be more than happy to get you out of here, Reegar."  
  
"Thanks, but I should be able to get back to the shuttle without problems now.  Geth didn't damage the ship so as long as we get out of here before reinforcements show up, we should be fine," Kal replied.  
  
"I won't be going with you, Kal.  I'm returning to the Normandy with Shepard," Tali told her friend.  
  
"I'll pass the data on to the Admiralty Board and let them know what happened.  Take care of yourself, Tali.  Keelah se'lai."  
  
"Keelah se'lai," she answered.  
  
"She's all yours now, Shepard.  Keep her safe."  
  
"You have my word on that, Kal.  She's one of my best friends and I don't intend on anything happening to her."  
  
Kara let out a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding and hugged Tali as soon as Kal left the room.  
  
"Thank you.  You have no idea how much it means to have another person I know I can trust standing by my side on that cursed Cerberus vessel."  
  
"Once I'm settled in, you'll have to explain to me everything that's going on and why you're working with them."  
  
"Of course, Tali."  
  
As the group made their way outside, toward the shuttle that had just touched down, Kara stumbled, knocking into Garrus.  His hands reached up to grab hold of her, picking her up the moment she passed out.  The group hurried to the Kodiak, Grunt ordering the pilot to get to the Normandy as quick as possible while Tali and Garrus tried to revive their commander.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Joker felt his heart stop as he watched Garrus carry Kara onto the ship, half running, as he headed toward the elevator with her in his arms.  The scene was almost identical to the day back on Eden Prime when the beacon had overloaded her system, the only difference being that it was Garrus carrying her now instead of Kaidan.  His heart pounded painfully in his chest, feeling as though he were glued to the chair.  His shoulder slumped when he saw that Hadley's and Matthews' chairs were empty.  Covering his face in his hands, he let out a soft moan.  
  
"Geth ship approaching our location, Mr. Moreau," EDI startled him out of his thoughts.  
  
"Shit," he sighed, his hands flying over the controls as he pulled the Normandy out of orbit and sped off toward the nearest relay.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ugh, that was nasty," Kara groaned, throwing her arm over her eyes as she regained consciousness.  "Thought I was being careful but the radiation must really have gotten to me."  
  
"It wasn't radiation poisoning, Shepard," Chakwas stated.  
  
Kara sat up carefully, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, and stared at the doctor.  
  
"Then what was it?  Is it something serious?  Can it be cured?  Don't tell me that the shit Cerberus did to me is already breaking down."  
  
"It is serious but it's not something that needs to be, or can be, cured.  You're pregnant, Kara."  
  
"I'm… _what_?!  No, I can't be.  We've been careful!"  
  
"Careful or not, you are.  I actually think your upgrades might have overpowered the precautions you were taking."  
  
"Oh gods…" she looked at the doctor with barely disguised panic.  "What am I supposed to do?  I'm not exactly mother material right now.  Not to mention, we're on a fucking suicide mission!  And even if we do make it out of that alive, we've got the Reapers on our asses.  Shit," she sighed.  
  
"If you wish, I can terminate…"  
  
"No.  No…" she whispered, laying her hands over her belly.  "It might not be the best time, but it's a gift from the gods.  How far along am I?"  
  
"About two months.  Kara… it's twins."  
  
"Great," she mock groaned.  "Can't even let me get used to having one before you smack me with the fact that it's two?  Just do me a favor.  Keep this out of my records.  I don't want the Illusive Man finding out any earlier than he has to."  
  
"Understood, Shepard.  I think there's someone else who needs to know, though."  
  
"And I plan on telling Joker the moment I get out of this med bay."  
  
"Tell me what?" the man in question asked as he walked toward them, his arms wrapping around Kara and pulling her close the moment she was in reach.   
  
"Well…"  
  
"Is it radiation sickness?"  
  
"Not exactly…" she said, clenching her hands nervously on his shoulders.  
  
"What is it?  What's wrong?  I don't care how bad it is, I can take it.  I promise.  I'm here for you, Kara," he murmured, raising his hand to run his fingers lightly over her cheek as he looked in her eyes.  
  
"I'm pregnant."  
  
"You're… you mean… oh shit.  I'm gonna be a dad, you're gonna be a mom, and we don't know if we're gonna get out of this alive.  Well, that seems to be the story of our lives, right?  So, do I have super sperm or do you just have biotic ovaries that just blasted past the protection we were using?"  
  
Kara raised her brow at him as she pulled back to look at him, then collapsed in laughter, burying her face in the crook of his neck.  
  
"Super sperm?  Biotic ovaries?  Gods, Joker."  
  
"Maybe it's a bit of both.  I mean you do like to keep telling me how epic I am.  Guess I really did get my docking technique down pat," he grinned at her crookedly.  
  
"Shoo, you two.  Get out of here.  Take this with you, Kara.  It'll keep the nausea at bay," Chakwas chuckled, handing the Commander a pressure syringe along with injection capsules.  "Inject one the moment you start feeling a bout coming on."  
  
"Hey, Doc?  Before we go, is there any way to see if the kid got what I have?"  
  
"So far tests show that they're normal, but they're still in the early stages yet."  
  
"They?"  
  
"It's twins, hon."  
  
"Yeah, super sperm it is," he beamed at Kara.  
  
"Go!  Take her up to your room and make her rest," the doctor smiled at the two of them and gently pushed them out of the bay.  The moment they entered the elevator, he pulled her into a tight hug.  
  
"I was so worried when I saw Garrus hauling ass onto the ship with you in his arms."  
  
"Well passing out wasn't exactly how I planned my grand exit from Haestrom to go."  
  
"So, what are we going to do?" he asked, gently ushering her into their room.  
  
"What we have been doing.  Busting our asses to save the galaxy."  
  
"What if one, or both of them, end up with Vrolik's?"  
  
"Then they have Vrolik's and we make sure they get the treatment they need.  They've got a great role model in their dad when it comes to showing them that they can do anything, be anybody they want," she smiled at him.  
  
"You do know this means I'll be keeping a closer eye on you, don't you, Kara?  I'll also be making sure you're eating regularly, which you forget to do."  
  
"Yes, Daddy Joker," she grinned at him.  
  
"Wow, we're gonna be parents," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.  
  
"Yeah…" she looked up at him, her eyes wet.  He placed his hand lightly over her belly, rubbing it in gentle circles.  Taking her hand, he then tugged her over to the bed and sat on the edge.  As he pulled her between his knees, he laid his cheek against her flat stomach and wrapped his arms around her waist, his eyes closing.  She smiled down at him and rested a hand on his shoulder, her other coming up to caress his cheek.  The two stayed there for a long while, enjoying the miracle of the moment.


	12. The Wedding Planner

"Y'know, I almost feel sorry for these kids of ours.  They're gonna end up being hellraisers, thanks to being stuck with us as parents," Joker murmured sleepily, rubbing his hand up and down over the warm expanse of Kara's belly.  
  
"Mmm, why's that?" she yawned, snuggling back against Joker's body.  
  
"Well… lookit who their mom is - this total badass who became the first human Spectre and saved both the Council and the Citadel.  Then you got me - the best damned helmsman in the galaxy."  
  
"Gods, they're gonna grow up with potty mouths and an appreciation for good intergalactic porn," Kara chuckled.  
  
"Mmhm.  What do I bet their first words will be either 'shit' or 'aww fuck' or something similar?" he laughed softly in her ear as he kissed the tip of it.  
  
"Their teachers are gonna hate us and probably call us in constantly.  I can see their first day of school being spent primarily in the principal's office."  
  
"Yup.  I wouldn't want it any other way, surprisingly enough.  They won't be cookie cutter kids at least," Joker said, pulling Kara tighter against him.  "Thinking about that though, we need to start planning the wedding.  I want our kids born after we're married."  
  
"Jeff, y'know I love you, but I'd honestly rather beat the side of a Reaper with a lint roller than try to plan a wedding.  Issuing orders to ground troops?  Easy peasy.  Planning a wedding, food, flowers, dresses 'n shit?  I'll be crazy and hiding under the bed inside a week.  Let's just elope or somethin'."  
  
"Nuh-uh.  We're doing this right.  Priest, bridesmaids, groomsmen, guests - all that jazz.  You're not gonna make me be the woman and sit down with lists, are you?" he mock whined.  
  
"If you want it done 'right' as you put it, then damn straight," she turned her face toward his and grinned.  
  
"Shit," he laughed, pressing his lips against hers.  Her eyes dancing, Kara playfully patted Joker's cheek.  
  
"That's what you get for loving the 'great Commander Shepard' and asking her to marry you.  Just give me the date and time and I'll try to find something somewhat suitable to show up in," she smirked then sighed, rolling over toward the end of the bed.  Joker's hands tightened around her waist and he pulled her back toward him.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?"  
  
"Gonna be docking at Illium within the next four or so hours so I should start prepping to take care of all the shit I got going on over there."  
  
"I think you can put it off a while longer," he murmured, pulling her beneath him as he slid inside her, his mouth covering hers.  Quiet sighs and soft moans filled the air as the two celebrated each other.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I'll probably be stuck on the station for a few days, hon.  I've got so much shit to do here it's not even funny," Kara sighed, her armor clinking against the console as she leaned against it.  
  
"Yeah, Miranda's crap along with picking up an assassin and some sort of asari justicar, right?"  
  
"Mmhm.  Fun times, eh?  At least it'll give the crew some time to relax."  
  
"True.  Y'know, I was wondering, with the people the Illusive Man has us picking up, if he's doing some one stop shopping somewhere.  I mean shit, this asari is supposed to be some sort of trained killer, so is he getting them all at the same store or something?"  
  
Kara choked on a laugh, her shoulders shaking with her merriment.  
  
"I'll have to ask him the next time he sends his summons to talk to me.  Gods, Joker," she grinned.  
  
"Hey, I got ya to smile, though."  
  
"You always do," she said, leaning down to kiss him lightly before turning toward the hatch, stopped by the grip of his fingers on hers.  
  
"Take care down there and be careful.  Trouble always seems to find you somehow and now I have more than just you to worry about," his voice was soft as he looked up at her, his hand squeezing hers tightly.  
  
"I'll do my best," she replied, returning the squeeze before slipping out to meet up with Grunt and Miranda.  His eyes followed her until she was out of his sight, his chest tightening with nerves.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Shepard!" Liara turned to the group, her eyes wide with happiness as she saw her old friend.  Reaching out, she tugged Kara into a tight hug and held on.  
  
"Liara," Kara sighed, sinking into the embrace.  "Gods I've missed you!"  
  
"Kara, you have no idea how happy I am to see you alive and well!  It seems I made the correct choice…"  
  
"Correct choice?" Kara asked, releasing her friend and taking a step back.  "Care to explain?  Also, what the hell is up with you sounding like your mother?  Threatening to kill someone with your mind?  Asking if they'd ever gone up against an asari commando before?"  
  
"About that… things have changed while you were gone.  I am an information broker now and sometimes people aren't exactly forthright with their information so threats must be made."  
  
"I… see.  And this choice you mentioned?" Kara quirked a brow.  
  
"Oh, that.  A friend and I recovered your body soon after the Normandy went down.  The Shadow Broker wanted it, but when I heard that Cerberus was wanting to try and bring you back to us, I had to try.  Please don't be mad at me!"  
  
"I'm not mad.  Surprised, but not mad.  What did the Shadow Broker want with my body?  Something to stuff and mount and show off that he had me or sell off to some other trophy collector?"  
  
"I don't know, Shepard.  So, what brings you to Illium?" Liara asked.  
  
"I'm looking for some people and was told you might have insight on where to find them."  
  
"Who are you looking for?"  
  
"An assassin by the name of Thane Krios and an asari called Samara."  
  
"Samara arrived recently and registered with Tracking Officer Dara.  Dara can be found at the transportation hub."  
  
Kara raised a brow at Liara's comment.  
  
"Registered with a tracking officer?  What for?  Don't tell me I'm going to be stuck with yet another criminal on board my ship.  What the hell is a justicar anyway?"  
  
"Oh no, definitely not a criminal!  In fact she's the exact opposite.  A Justicar is an ancient sect of asari warriors who strive to uphold the law," Liara replied.  
  
"Well that makes me breathe a bit easier.  What about Thane?"  
  
"He arrived here a few days ago.  My sources say he might be targeting a corporate executive by the name of Nassana Dantius."  
  
"Hmm, I wonder if I can beat him to her…" Kara mused.  
  
"Why would you want to do that, Shepard?" Miranda asked.  
  
"That bitch tricked me into killing her own sister.  I have a few words reserved especially for her, along with a bullet."  
  
"I thought that name sounded familiar.  Now I know why," Liara stated.  
  
"Any suggestions on how to find him?" Kara asked, returning her attention back to Liara.  
  
"He's been in contact with a woman named Seryna.  She has an office down in the cargo transfer levels.  Perhaps she can give you more information."  
  
"You weren't kidding when you said you've been working as an information broker.  Those answers came quite readily to you," Kara chuckled.  "Y'know, I could really use you back on my team, Liara.  Why don't you come with me, or at least grab your stuff and head to the ship?"  
  
"I… I'd love to, Kara, but I can't.  I have responsibilities here now, and while I know your fight against the Collectors is important, so is what I'm doing."  
  
"Maybe when I'm finished with my business here on Illium, you and I can sit down and have a chat and you can explain exactly what's going on with you."  
  
"I'd like that, though I might not be able to tell you much.  As with any place, my office is surely bugged and there are some things I don't want overheard."  
  
"Understood, Liara.  It was good seeing you again," Kara smiled at her friend.  "I should be going, but I'll try to stop back before we need to pull out of port."  
  
"Take care of yourself, Shepard.  You're one of the few people left in my life who I still trust.  I don't want to lose you again."  
  
Nodding, Kara backed out of Liara's office, her mind already on her next task.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Muttering under his breath, Joker stared at the different lists he had tried to come up with in regards to planning for the upcoming wedding.  The data pad didn't seem to have any answers for him, nor was the cup of coffee sitting in front of him on the table in the mess doing any good in helping him concentrate.  
  
"What's wrong, Joker?" Chakwas asked from behind him.  
  
"I don't know the first thing about planning a damned wedding and Kara has too much on her plate to take care of it herself.  Hell, with a comment she made to me earlier, she probably won't even bother trying to find a dress.  I want to do this right but I'm worried I'm gonna fuck it up somehow," he sighed.  
  
"I have an idea."  
  
"I'm all ears, Doc.  Lay it on me."  
  
"Why don't you let me see what I can do?  Also, why not talk to Kasumi and Tali?  You know Tali would do anything to find a way to make the day special, and Kasumi seems to have a good grasp of formal wear, with that dress she talked the Commander into wearing a while back."  
  
"Thank you.  Thank you!  I'm looking at blank lists of some of the things Kara mentioned earlier, like guests and flowers and food and had no idea where to even start.  Hell, I don't even know where a good place would be to have it."  
  
"I've already got some thoughts on that.  As far as guests, why not invite the crew, Councilor Anderson, and even though I'm sure he's busy, send off an invitation to Admiral Hackett?  I'm sure there are other names you can come up with of people you might want attending.  Now, for the venue.  I know of this pretty little garden area not too far away from the Presidium.  It's quiet, doesn't get much foot traffic, and you get a good view of the lakes as well," Chakwas mused, already getting into the role of wedding planner.  
  
"Sounds good.  I should probably send off a message to… well never mind!  Here come Kasumi and Tali right now," Joker replied.  
  
"I heard my name mentioned," the thief grinned as she approached the table.  
  
"Yeah.  Y'know, the doc here brought up a good point.  You picked out an incredible dress for Kara when she helped you out with that thing on Beckenstein.  Think you could help with a wedding dress?"  
  
"I would love to, but wouldn't Commander Shepard prefer to pick it out herself?" Kasumi asked.  
  
"Her comment to me this morning was, 'Just give me the place and time and I'll try to find something suitable to wear'.  I don't think she's planning on doing any dress shopping," Joker sighed.  
  
"Then it would be my pleasure.  Oh, I think I already have the perfect dress in mind.  Let me go get in touch with a contact and see about getting it shipped here.  I can do the tailoring myself so that it fits her perfectly!" she smiled and clapped her hands, then quickly exited toward her room.  
  
"What can I do to help?" Tali asked.  
  
"I'm sure Dr. Chakwas can come up with ideas.  There is something…" he trailed off as Garrus approached the group from the forward battery.  
  
"Oh good, now that you're both here, there's something I need to tell you."  
  
"What do you need?" Garrus asked.  
  
"Look, you need to keep it to yourselves.  Chakwas already knows, but we don't want this getting out to the general public and take the chance of the Illusive Man finding out," Joker began.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Tali looked at Joker, her hands twisting nervously in front of her.  
  
"No, something is incredibly right, but I don't want that man possibly screwing it up.  Kara's pregnant."  
  
"Spirits…"  
  
"Oh keelah…"  
  
"I'm telling you this because I trust you.  I'm also letting you in on this secret because I want you to keep an eye on her whenever you're out together.  And if you're wondering, I already swept the mess for bugs so our 'benefactor' isn't able to listen in on this conversation."  
  
"Congratulations," Tali said, reaching out to hug the pilot.  Garrus extended his hand and shook Joker's once the quarian had stepped back.  
  
"You know we'd do anything for Kara.  Just say the word and we're there," the turian stated.  
  
"Do you know what it is, yet?" Tali asked.  "A boy or a girl?"  
  
"No clue, other than the fact that it's twins," Joker replied, his eyes lighting up and his grin crooked.  "I know I need to be patient but, gods, I can't wait to hold them in my arms.  Little bundles of precious," he sighed.  
  
"Oh that sounds so wonderful," Tali said, patting Joker on his shoulder.  "So, the wedding.  Any idea of when you want to have it?"  
  
"Shit, you just had to remind me, didn't you?  Here I was all picturing pretty babies and you make me remember all this planning I gotta do," he groused, though his lips quivered as he tried to hold back a smile.  "I want it soon, though, that much I do know.  I want 'em born after we're married.  I also want, just in case things do go bad on this mission, to be able to know she's mine in the eyes of the gods and the law, before we hit the Omega 4."  
  
"I think that can be arranged.  Most of the guests are on this ship, and I'm sure Councilor Anderson would drop whatever he's doing for our Kara," Chakwas replied.  
  
"If you tell me where it'll be held, perhaps Garrus and I could come up with some lighting ideas?  I don't know.  I'm better with tech than I am with planning fancy things."  
  
"Some sort of little garden near the Presidium?  You'll need to work with the doc on that.  Then there's flowers, and food, and I'd like to find someone who can take pictures…"  
  
"I'll take the pictures!" Tali stated, her voice filled with excitement.  "That's what I can do!"  
  
"I can speak with the Presidium grounds keeper.  I've never known a turian with a greener thumb than he's got," Garrus intoned, his eyes thoughtful.  
  
"Count me in for the food," Gardner said as he walked into the mess.  "If you wouldn't mind my contribution."  
  
"Great, looks like I've got the venue, dress, food, flowers, and pictures taken care of.  Just need to send out a couple of invitations, like to my parents, Anderson, and Hackett, and pick a date.  That was easier than I thought it'd be!"  
  
"Why not the 28th of August for a date?  That's a month from now," Chakwas asked as she looked over Joker's datapad, noting the information down for him.  
  
"Sounds good.  I'll just have to keep reminding Kara about it so she doesn't forget."  
  
"You know she wouldn't.  She loves you and knows this is important to you," the doctor smiled at him.  
  
"Yeah, you're right.  Well I should head back to my chair and send out those invitations.  Thanks for the help and keep me updated, alright?"  
  
"Of course, Joker," Garrus nodded his head to the man.  "I'll see about sending something out and get the flowers taken care of for you."  
  
"Oh I'm so excited!" Tali jumped up and down.  
  
"Hey Tali, before you head back down to Engineering, can you let Kasumi know when we'll need the dress by?"  
  
"Will do, Joker," she said, hugging him tight from behind before running off towards the thief's quarters.  
  
"Man, talk about a load off these shoulders.  This is going to be great," Joker grinned.  
  
"See what happens when you let people help?" Chakwas smirked at him.  
  
"Oh hush.  This is different, though, not people doing shit outta pity because I'm creaky."  
  
"True, but perhaps this will show you how good having friends can be," the doctor replied as she made her way back to the med bay.  
  
Grinning, he shook his head in her direction and rolled his eyes.  Making his way back to the cockpit, while he'd never admit it to Chakwas, he did agree that perhaps letting others help wasn't always a bad thing.  He pushed that thought off to the side though as he tried to compose a halfway decent invitation in his head to send off to the Admiral and Anderson.  After that little chore was done, he scanned his messages, smiling when he noticed one from Kara.  
  
 _Hey Joker,  
  
Interesting day here so far.  Learned that my body was actually to be given to the Shadow Broker but was donated to Cerberus instead when Liara found out they wanted to resurrect me.  Not sure what the broker wanted with my body but, ugh, glad he didn't get it.  And yeah, you read correctly, I spoke to Liara.  She's some kind of information broker now herself.  The Illusive Man was wrong, though, when he said she was working for the Shadow Broker.  She hasn't told me anything but I have this gut feeling that they're not on good terms.  Then again, in her line of work, she would be a competitor of his.  
  
Retrieved Miranda's sister and made sure she was safe.  Her and her family are now off to some new life away from this place.  Tomorrow we're going after the assassin.  I'm hoping I can get to his target before he does.  I have a few words for Nassana Dantius ever since she tricked me into taking out her sister.  Scuttlebutt is that she's even worse now so she needs to be taken out.  
  
Hate to admit it, but sometimes having Cerberus funds actually does have its advantages.  Picked up some wicked upgrades for weapons and armor and ho-ly shit, you should see this hotel room I've got for the night.  It's actually a suite and damn is it huge.  I have it booked for the rest of the week, depending on how long it takes me to pick up Thane and Samara.  I'll miss sharing it with you tonight, but maybe you can find some way to come down here so I'm not so lonely the rest of the week.  
  
Love you,  
  
Kara_  
  
"Oh you can bet on it.  Sharing a posh hotel room with you sounds like a perfect plan," he murmured, closing out his inbox.  Having nothing else to do for the evening, he made his way up to their room and slept with her pillow in his arms, wanting to be able to breathe in her scent with every breath he took and hope it would bring him dreams of her.


	13. The Collector Base

Everything that needed to be done on Illium had been done, and while Kara would have loved to go back and see if she could help Liara with whatever had her friend on edge, she knew that, for the moment, she just didn't have the time.  Between going after the Collectors, the needs of her crewmates, not to mention her upcoming wedding and the small amount of shore leave she had eked out for the honeymoon, there was no extra time to spare.  Thinking of Joker, her lips curved into a wicked smile at the few nights they had spent together in the posh hotel room she had paid for on Cerberus' dime.  She was sure she'd be billed for the broken lamp and a few other things they had accidentally smashed when the two of them had gotten a little out of hand, but it was so worth it.  
  
Running her fingers lightly over the keyboard of her terminal, the galaxy map lending a light glow to her station, she stopped and stared at the message that popped onto her screen.  
  
"Gyah, talk about shit not getting through thick skulls," Kara muttered.  
  
"What's going on?" Joker asked from behind her as he exited the elevator, half of a sandwich in hand.  "I know it's not my thick skull you're bitching about this time, or is it?"  
  
"You've so gotta read this shit.  Gods, what part of engaged does he not understand?" she replied, stepping back so Joker could read Kaidan's apology letter.  Joker peered at the screen, munching away at what was left of his lunch while he read what was sent.  
  
"Heh, enough ship and military euphemisms in that letter?  And… oh wait a minute.  Did you see the P.S. he added to the note?" he sighed, though his voice hardened at the end.  
  
"No.  He added a P.S.?" Kara stepped back up to the terminal, her body leaning against Joker's as she wrapped an arm around his waist, her eyes fixing on the postscript added to the apology.  "While I consider Joker to be one of my better friends, I know you and him well enough to realize that your words of engagement were just a way to get back at me for all the hurt I caused.  He's like a brother to us both so I'm sure his was the first name to come to mind, but we both know he couldn't keep up with you or be the man you need in your life.  I understand your need to hurt me as I did you, and I hope that in time we can at least reclaim our friendship," she read, then snorted out a laugh.  
  
"So, he doesn't think I'm man enough for you?  For someone who thinks of me like a brother, he can go fuck himself," Joker snapped, his body rigid as he stormed away from Kara's terminal toward the cockpit.  Kara watched in shock, frozen for a moment, then looked back down at the screen.  Her good mood now gone, she deleted the message then ran after her fiancé.  Catching up to him as he leaned against his chair, she slid her arms around his waist from behind, and lay her head against his back.  
  
"You don't know how many times I've wondered why you're with me instead of him.  I still have days where I'm afraid this is all a dream and I'll wake up to find you're still gone, or that you're here but don't return my feelings because I'm just a fucking gimp," he whispered, his head hanging low as he rested his arms against the back of the pilot's seat.  
  
"I'm with you because I love you.  I fell in love with you before the Normandy was destroyed, before you had your implants.  I said yes when you asked me to marry you because you're the only man I want to spend my life with for however long that might be.  Don't you dare let Kaidan tear you down like this or make a mockery of what we are together."  
  
"Yeah, you're right.  It just hurts sometimes, y'know?  All the rejection I went through in the past, worrying about whether or not one of the twins might be cursed with my disease…"  
  
"They're cursed enough having potty mouth and porn connoisseur as their parents," Kara quipped, earning a soft laugh from Joker.  
  
"Ah, true.  I'm sorry," he sighed, turning around in her arms so he could bury his face in her hair.  
  
"Don't worry about it," she began, then frowned as Joker's console beeped.  Peering over the back of his chair, she narrowed her eyes as she read the incoming message.  Following her gaze, Joker rolled his eyes then looked down at Kara.  
  
"Looks like the Illusive shit needs you again.  I'll be here as always," Joker said, grazing his fingertips over her cheek as she turned to head toward the briefing room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Ok, this just creeps me the hell out," Kara muttered, her eyes scanning the walls inside the Collector ship.  
  
"I love what they've done to the place," Garrus stated through his comm. link, causing Kara to laugh even with the shivers sliding down her spine.  "Creepy and disgusting have taken on a whole new meaning for me."  
  
"Gods, Garrus," she sighed, though the turian was able to see her grin through the clear mask that covered her nose and mouth.  
  
"Looks like an insect hive," her newest squad mate stated, and she flicked her blue-grey eyes over toward the drell.  While having three with similar skills together might not have been the smartest move, she wanted at least one person at her back whom she implicitly trusted while seeing Thane's skills for herself.  She would have brought Tali along, but the poor quarian was down with an infection after they had discovered a tear in her suit due to her hardships on Haestrom.  
  
"Don't remind me.  Bugs are one of the few things that actually unnerve me, so the quicker we can get through this place, the better."  
  
"Understood, Shepard."  
  
"Shepard, penetrating scans have discovered an access node to uplink with Collector databanks.  Marking location to your hardsuit computer."  
  
"Thanks, EDI."  
  
Motioning with her hand to follow, the three of them crept around the inside of the ship, alarm bells going off in her head that something wasn't right.  Listening to her instincts, she kept eyes and ears open, glad that Miranda had found her a mask similar to the one she and Kasumi wore when out in unbreathable atmospheres, not wanting to have anything blocking her peripheral vision.  
  
"Kara, I have compared the ship's EM signatures to known Collector profiles and it is the same ship you encountered on Horizon."  
  
"Well ain't that just peachy.  Maybe the GARDIAN softened this thing up a bit for the turians.  We can only hope, at least," Kara muttered, her feelings of unease tripling.  
  
"The missing colonists might be aboard -- if they're still alive," Garrus stated.  
  
"If they're still sane after being stuck here for a few weeks under Collector supervision," she retorted.  She recoiled a bit as she began to notice the pods, visions of people being carted away in them still burned in her brain from Veetor's vid, as well as memories of those held in stasis by the nerve toxin on Horizon.  
  
"Horrible.  Trapped in these pods, completely at the mercy of the Collectors," her turian friend sighed as they continued on through the ship.  
  
"This is what we're fighting to stop.  Don't forget that," Kara said, her voice tinged with sorrow.  
  
"I know.  We're going to get these Collector bastards."  
  
Kara fumbled for a moment as they came upon a massive pile of bodies, many of them not in one piece.  Her stomach rebelling, she grasped for her injector and medication capsule that she so desperately needed to keep from emptying her stomach, then sighed in relief as she felt someone give her the injection that calmed her system.  Turning, she offered up a wan smile to Thane when she realized it was him who had assisted her.  
  
"Dr. Chakwas insisted that we each carry one in case you forgot your own or couldn't get to it in time," the drell answered the unspoken question in Shepard's eyes.  
  
"Thank you," she replied.  
  
"This doesn't look good," she heard Garrus say as the turian stared at the bodies.  
  
"You don't say."  
  
"But what… why are these here?" Thane asked.  
  
"Must have been used for testing.  I'd say these subjects didn't pass," Garrus answered.  
  
"Poor bastards.  They didn't deserve this," Kara sighed.  
  
"Hardly anyone gets what they deserve," the turian countered, an edge to his voice.  Shaking her head, Kara motioned for them to continue forward.  
  
To say that the ship was full of surprises was an understatement.  Scanning the computers, the group learned of the genetic history of the Collectors and Kara mourned what the Protheans had been rigged to become.  She swore to herself that she wouldn't allow something like this to happen to another species and that resolve strengthened with each step she took.  Her earlier fears that had gripped her on Horizon, that she might not be up to the task, faded the closer they came to the control room, though the alarm in her head began shrieking the moment Joker came over the comm.  
  
"Kara, you gotta hear this.  On a hunch, I asked EDI to run an analysis on this ship.  It's the same one that attacked the Normandy two years ago."  
  
"The same ship has been dogging me for two years?  Way beyond coincidence," she sighed.  
  
"Something just doesn't add up," Joker agreed.  "Please, watch your back down there, will you?"  
  
"Always.  I can't wait to get the hell off this damned thing."  
  
The three of them moved further inside the ship, the tingles down Kara's back increasing.  As they entered what looked to be the main room, they stopped and stared at the mass quantities of empty pods that had come into view.  
  
"This is unbelievable," Garrus gasped.  
  
"They could take every human in the Terminus Systems and not have enough to fill these pods," Thane added.  
  
"They're going to target Earth," Garrus stated.  
  
"Not if we stop them," Kara growled.  
  
She couldn't keep her eyes off of them.  There were so many and the implications of the number were staggering.  Even as they closed in on the main control panel, Kara's gaze kept creeping up to stare at the ceiling.  She remembered Sovereign's words that the Reapers desired the total destruction of the human race, and Vigil saying that the Reapers had hunted down every single Prothean colony that they had found record of in the Citadel's database.  How much information had Sovereign downloaded and perhaps passed on before it was destroyed?  The possibilities chilled her while she set up the connection between the ship and EDI.  
  
"Has anyone else wondered why we haven't seen any Collectors, living or dead?" Thane asked.  
  
"That question has been burning a hole in my brain since we entered this contraption," Kara answered.  
  
"Same here," Garrus nodded to the two of them.  
  
The platform they were on shuddered, and power flickered throughout the ship.    
  
"Uh, that can't be good," she heard Joker over her earpiece.  
  
"Everyone's all right on my end, Joker.  What the hell just happened?" Kara asked.  
  
"Major power surge.  Everything went dark but we're back up now."  
  
"I was able to divert the majority of the overload to non critical systems.  Shepard, this was not a malfunction.  It was a trap," EDI came over the system.  
  
Kara grabbed a hold of the control panel, her fingers trying to dig into the console, as the platform began to rise and move.  Keeping an eye on the other two to make sure they were all right, she braced her feet apart to steady her balance.   
  
"I could use a little help here, EDI!" she barked.  
  
"I am having trouble maintaining a connection.  There is someone else in the system."  
  
"Then purge the damned system if you have to!"  
  
Just as Kara had gotten used to the motion of the floating platform, it stopped suddenly, causing the three of them to tumble to the ground.  As Garrus reached out to help Kara up, her eyes assessed both him and Thane for injuries while she stood.  
  
"Connection reestablished, Shepard.  I need to finish the download before I can override any of the systems."  
  
"Better make it quick!"  
  
"We've got company!" Garrus called out.  
  
Hunkering down behind the main console, Kara prayed to the gods that she and the others would get out of this alive.  The voice of Harbinger brought her fears back to the forefront, but she pushed them down and focused on the gunfight raging around her.  Though relatively short compared to most of the battles she'd been through, it left her weary and shaking as she slumped down and leaned back against the console.  
  
"Shepard, you must manually reestablish my link to the command console," the AI stated as Kara tried to catch her breath.  Groaning, she got to her feet and typed in the required commands, connecting the two computers.  
  
"I've regained control of the platform, Shepard."  
  
"I knew you wouldn't let us down, EDI," Kara replied, her voice tired.  
  
"I always work at optimal capacity," the AI retorted.  Kara grinned crookedly at the holo globe of the Normandy's artificial intelligence.  
  
"Did you get everything we needed?"  
  
"I found data that would allow us to safely navigate the Omega 4 Relay.  I also found the turian distress call that served as the lure for this trap.  The Collectors were the source.  It is unusual."  
  
"Not so unusual if you figure they've been after my ass for over two years now," Kara grumped as the platform began to move, returning to its original position.  
  
"Turian emergency channels have secondary encryption.  It is present, but corrupted in the message.  It is not possible that the Illusive Man would believe the distress call was genuine."  
  
"Great.  Dare I ask you why you're so sure about this?"  
  
"I found the anomaly with Cerberus detection protocols.  He wrote them."  
  
"He knew it was a trap?!  Why would he send us into a trap?" Joker could easily be heard over the comm. channel.  
  
"That son of a bitch sent us right into Collector hands.  I will kick his sorry ass into that exploding planet that serves as a backdrop for his office.  He's dead," Kara growled.  
  
"And I'll be right beside you," Joker muttered.  
  
"Better include me.  And here I thought I'd had my betrayal and attempted murder for this year," Garrus added.   
  
"Kara, you'd better start hauling ass outta there.  The Collector ship is powering up and I'm not about to lose you again, or this Normandy, to their bug eyed selves."  
  
"Well shit.  Let's get going guys."  
  
Kara raced off the platform, assault rifle in hand, in no mood to enjoy the beauty of sniping down a target but instead just wanting to mow the bastards down as quickly as possible so they could reach the Kodiak before the ship was fully operational.  The closer they got to where the shuttle was parked, the more they seemed to be held back by waves of Collectors, husks, and Harbinger.  She feared what the back of her mind kept telling her - that he was a Reaper using the bodies of the Collectors to try and wipe her out before they came to wipe out her race.  
  
"C'mon, Kara, I can't wait much longer before things get really nasty," Joker urged her over the comm., the fear in his voice so thick she could almost touch it.  
  
"I'm hurrying," she gasped, ducking behind a low wall as yet another Praetorian came after her and her squad.  "Just trying to take down a bitch of heavy artillery that's trying to obliterate us."  
  
Joker switched on the video feed so he could watch his fiancée, having left it off prior to this because his ability to remain calm while she was under fire had disappeared the moment he learned of their impending parenthood.  He paled when he saw the Praetorian, his hands clenching into fists over the fact that he had no way of helping her out.  His nerves increased as he looked over at another console, the readout stating that the Collector ship was now at 80% power.  
  
"Shit, shit, shit," he muttered under his breath, glancing back at the vid screen to find Kara and the other two dashing through hallways toward the Kodiak.  
  
"Ugh, I hate husks," Kara groaned as a group of the things began running toward them.  The three of them sprayed bullets into the mob, tearing them to pieces, and clearing the way to the Kodiak.  
  
"We gotta get outta here _now_ , Kara!" Joker yelled, the readout on his screen now flashing 95%.  
  
"I can see the shuttle, Joker!  We're on our way!"  
  
Kara, Garrus, and Thane leaped into the waiting Kodiak, the door not even fully shut as the pilot shot out of the Collector ship and into the Normandy's bay.  As the bay doors began to close, Joker's fingers flew over the lit up panel in front of him, pulling the SR2 away from the Collector ship as fast as he possibly could.  He relaxed only a fraction when he felt Kara's presence beside him, her breath warm against his cheek while she fought for air trying to calm herself, almost hyperventilating.  
  
"Deep breaths, hon, deep breaths.  We'll come out of this in one piece," he murmured even as he banked the Normandy to the left, dodging the Collector's particle beam.  Nodding, Kara tried to do as he asked, though her fingers dug into the leather armrest of his chair.  
  
"EDI, get us the hell out of here!" Joker ordered, the beam coming a bit too close for comfort, as he then swerved to the right to avoid yet another attack from their pursuer.  
  
"I need coordinates, Mr. Moreau.  Where would you like to go?"  
  
"Anywhere that isn't here!" he snapped.  
  
"The Sol system, EDI, ASAP!" Kara barked.  
  
"Understood," EDI responded, sending the Normandy into hyper-drive and out of the Collectors' reach.  
  
"The Sol system?" Joker inquired as he looked up at Kara.  
  
"I just… I need to see Earth after what I saw inside that ship," she whispered, the shivers wracking her body getting worse the further they were away from the ship.  "I'm heading up to the loft before I possibly lose it in front of the crew and to get some rest before verbally blasting the Illusive Man upside his head."  
  
"I'm coming with you," Joker said, removing himself from the chair and wrapping an arm around Kara.  As they walked past Hadley's station, he tapped the man's chair and just motioned for him to take over before ushering Kara up to their room.  
  
"Gods I was so afraid I was going to lose you again.  Are you ok?  Are you hurt anywhere?" Joker's voice trembled as he pulled Kara tight to him the moment they entered the loft.  
  
"I don't think I'll be having any good dreams for a while after what I saw in there, but otherwise I'm fine.  Nothing hit me, no bullet wounds or scratches," she answered him, allowing him to pull her to the couch so he could cradle her body against his.  "Just nightmares and the fear of never seeing you again when I learned it was a trap."  
  
"I'm tired, so very tired," she continued after a moment's silence.  
  
"Then rest.  I'm right here with you," Joker murmured in her ear, kissing her cheek.  As she curled up in his lap, careful of his legs, Kara pressed her cheek against Joker's chest and let the sound of his heartbeat lull her into a light sleep.  Watching her, he ran his fingers lightly through her hair, glad that his prayers had been answered for at least one more day.


	14. Traitors and Nightmares Revealed

"Y'know what?  I don't give a _fuck_ what you think!  You ever do that to me or the crew again, I will pull out all the stops to find out where in the hell you're based and you _will_ find out what it's like to have a gun shoved up your ass before the trigger is pulled!"  
  
Joker snickered from his chair as Kara's voice carried through the CIC all the way up to the cockpit.  Swiveling in his chair to face toward the galaxy map, he watched the crowd that had gathered outside of the briefing room to the point that they were spilling out of the armory and into the CIC.  
  
"Oh _hell_ no!  I'm not lying to the crew just so you can save face!  They deserve to know what kind of a double crossing bastard they're working for.  I swear, between this shit and Horizon, I really wouldn't be surprised to find out you're working with the Reapers."  
  
Joker looked up to see Jack approaching him and he stiffened slightly in his chair.  He still didn't trust the biotic felon they had picked up - in fact, he considered her to be all sorts of crazy.  
  
"Damn, your woman is the only person I think I could ever be scared of," Jack said to Joker as she entered the cockpit.  "Makes me glad I'm not on her bad side.  Can you hear any of the shit going on up here?"  
  
"Only what Kara's saying, but that's enough for me.  It's fun hearing her going off on someone deserving," he quirked a grin in the other woman's direction.  
  
"You have _got_ to be kidding me!  You want me to visit a fucking derelict Reaper?  What are you, insane?  The only reason I'm actually believing you right now is because you're not so stupid as to send me into yet another trap so soon after this last one.  I'll get your damned IFF but you'd better stay off my ass from here on out."  
  
Joker and the convict exchanged glances before staring back in the direction of the one sided shouting match that the entire crew could hear.  
  
"You keep them out of it.  How in the hell did you find out?" Kara's voice had taken on the darkest, most dangerous tone anyone had ever heard from her.  It sent tremors down even Joker's spine.  
  
"Joker, cut the transmission.  I'm done with this asshole," Kara's voice piped out of his speakers.  Turning back toward the console, he hit a couple of keys, shutting down the connection between the Normandy and the Illusive Man.  
  
Kara stepped out of the briefing room and straight into a crowd.  Raising a brow, her temper eased a bit as they started applauding her, and she let out a bit of a laugh.  
  
"Okay, show's over people.  Back to work!" she said, clapping her hands together and trying to politely shove her way through the throng of people.  Exiting the armory, she made her way to the cockpit, nodding to Jack as she stepped up beside Joker's chair.  
  
"I need you to set a course for Omega.  I know how much you hate the asteroid field surrounding it but I have a package that needs to be dropped off.  Once you're finished with that, please meet me down in Miranda's office."  
  
"What's going on?" he asked her, turning his head to look up at his fiancée.  
  
"I'll explain once you're down there.  I'll see you in a few.  Hadley!  You're pitch hitting in the pilot's seat while we have ourselves a meeting in Operative Lawson's office.  If anything pops up, get a hold of me there," she said as she left the cockpit and headed toward the elevator.  Jack and Joker watched her leave, twin expressions of confusion on their faces.  Joker shrugged as he looked over at the convict and set the course, then left his seat the moment Hadley arrived.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"You told him _what_?!" Miranda exploded out of her seat and stalked around the desk to stare down Kelly Chambers.  
  
"I'd like to know how she found out," Kara muttered as she leaned back against the wall, staring at the yeoman.  "I mean, hell, I finally told you when I realized I could trust you, but shrinks always unnerve me."  
  
"I overheard Dr. Chakwas when she gave the injectors to Thane and Garrus before you headed off to the Collector ship.  The Illusive Man needed to know, Shepard.  The added stress of the twins could hamper your ability to stay strong during difficult times."  
  
"Why you little…" Miranda began.  "You had no right, _no right_ , to tell him about her condition.  Do you realize the increased danger you've just put her and the twins in because of your big mouth?  I'd love to toss you out of the nearest airlock."  
  
Joker glared at the yeoman, his hands tightened into fists and his whole body shaking.  If he hadn't been raised to never hit a woman, breaking his hand against her jaw would so be worth it to see her knocked down a peg or two.  
  
"Oh, I've got something better in mind, actually, especially since she just loves all genders and species.  She won't be staying on this ship much longer," Kara grinned maliciously at Kelly.  
  
"You can't!  I was handpicked by the Illusive Man himself to serve on this ship!" Kelly panicked.  
  
"My ship, my rules.  I am the commander of this vessel, not the Illusive Man.  As it is, EDI has locked down your terminal and purged your access codes from the system.  I have also spoken with Zaeed and Grunt - both of them are willing to help Jack keep an eye on you down in her hidey hole until we get to your final destination.  In fact…" Kara trailed off as the merc and krogan both requested access into Miranda's office.  "Looks like your escort is here."  
  
Kara waved at Kelly as Zaeed and Grunt half dragged the woman to the elevator, neither of them heeding her kicking or screaming as she fought to be let go.  
  
"What are your plans for her, Shepard?" Miranda asked.  
  
"Since she's such a 'people person' I figured she'd do well as a dancer in Afterlife.  I already sent a quick message to Aria and the asari seems quite delighted to assist me with this problem," Kara grinned cheekily.  
  
"You're horrible," Lawson stated, though her lips quivered as she held back a laugh.  
  
"I love you," Joker chuckled, hugging Kara tight.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
After Kelly had been deposited into Aria's willing grasp, Kara had Joker set a course for Tuchanka so she could assist Mordin with his request and figure out what, if anything, was wrong with Grunt.  Seeing Wrex was the only highlight of her trip, though the breeding request as she set out to leave did put a slight dent into her sour mood.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Joker whistled a merry tune as he helped Gardner load up a tray with two dinner servings.  He knew Kara was up filling out reports and documenting their missions to the point she had forgotten to eat once again.  Then again, she had just returned to the Normandy a few hours prior and he knew her well enough that she'd want to get everything down before she had a chance to forget even one iota of the trip.  He figured he'd surprise her with a meal in their cabin and hoped he could pry her away from her work long enough for them to curl up on the couch and watch a vid.  He knew she'd had a rough couple of days on Tuchanka and wanted to help take her mind off of things for a while.  Pushing the service cart with the heavily laden tray and their drinks, he wheeled it into the elevator, a smile tugging the corners of his lips at the promise of what the evening might hold after they relaxed, depending on whether or not she fell into an exhausted sleep thanks to the lack of any real rest she'd had since the Collector ship.  
  
Careful not to spill anything as the cart rolled over the small gap in the floor where the door retracted, Joker brought it close to the edge of the stairs so he wouldn't have as far to carry the tray to the table that was nestled near the L shaped couch.  His eyes scanned the room for his beloved, finally finding her.  He stood rooted to his spot at what filled his vision, his heart feeling as though it were falling at his feet.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
 _There were so many of them - too many.  She was just one woman and a frightened one at that.  How anyone thought she had the know-how, or the strength to command, was beyond her.  She just proved she was  a failure, hiding up in a bunker that no one and nothing could access, watching the events playing out down below without even trying to lend a hand to those being victimized.  
  
Thresher maw and Collector were working hand in hand.  Her old squadron, along with the members of the original Normandy and those of the SR2, were being immobilized either by the acid spit of the thresher maw or the nerve toxin of the seeker swarms.  She had run out of ammo long before, barely denting the number of hostiles surrounding her friends and loved ones.  Was that… no… please Gods don't let it be!  A sob caught in her chest as she saw Joker and the twins loaded up into pods and hauled off by the Collectors.    
  
"Noooooo!" she screamed, the sound tearing out of her mimicking the cry of a wounded animal._  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Noooooo!" Joker heard her scream, and he tried to scramble down the stairs as quick as he could to where Kara was huddled underneath the desk.  "They're my life!  Don't take them away from me!" she sobbed, her voice turning hoarse from the thick emotion accompanying her words.  He pulled her to him, the hairs raising on his arms at the anguish in her unseeing eyes.  
  
"Hey, hey, shhhhh," he murmured in her ear, rubbing his hands in circles over her back. "Where ever you are, come back, love.  You're safe.  You're safe."  
  
Kara shuddered in his arms, his voice tearing through the barriers of her nightmare and bringing her back to the present.  She clutched at Joker's back, her hands gripped tight to his Cerberus shirt, and took deep breaths, pulling his scent into her body while doing what she could to soak up his warmth.  
  
"Oh gods… oh gods…" she shivered, her teeth chattering.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Thresher maws were working with the Collectors.  They had not only my squad on Akuze, but everyone from the Normandy and the SR2… including you and the twins.  I couldn't see the babies but I knew they were there and they… they carted you off while I hid up in the bunker I'd found during my original recon mission on the planet.  I was out of ammo and knew I couldn't help but I… I hid.  I did nothing while they took everyone away…"  
  
"Shit," he sighed, holding her close.  "What got you thinking about thresher maws?  I can see why you'd have the Collectors on the brain, but what put you back on Akuze?"  
  
"Grunt's Rite of Passage.  They don't tell you what you're heading into - that's part of the Rite.  Three waves of hostiles came at us.  First varren, then klaxen… then a maw.  I wanted to hide when I saw that thing, Joker.  I wanted to hide," her voice was muffled as she pressed her face against his chest.  
  
"But you didn't.  Knowing you, you put everything you had into taking that thing down.  You're alive Kara, and so are Grunt and Mordin.  You didn't lose anyone this time, and remember, the last time wasn't your fault either."  
  
"Yeah, you're right.  Y'know what, though?  I was more afraid of seeing that maw than I was the entire time I was on that Collector ship.  Gods, I hate Cerberus," she muttered.  
  
"Think happy thoughts.  Think of what Kelly's stuck doing now that you've handed her over to Aria," Joker's chuckle was warm in Kara's ear.  
  
Kara pulled back enough to look at Joker's face, her smile returning even if it wasn't the usual full blown curve of the lips that she usually gave him.  Grinning back, he cupped her face with his hands and leaned in to cover her lips with his own, drowning in the softness of her, the taste of her.  Keeping the kiss soothing in nature, he slid his hands into her hair, his eyes fluttering closed the moment she began to return the kiss.    
  
Joker always seemed to know what it was she needed, whenever she needed it, and the kiss was the balm she had unknowingly craved to quiet the turmoil going on inside her.  Letting herself fall into the embrace, she held him close, and let the weight of the world tumble away for at least a little while.


	15. Mr. & Mrs. Moreau

Warmth surrounded and infused her.  Shifting in the bed, Kara snuggled deeper into the mound of pillows, cocooning herself within the softness of the sheets and blankets piled on top of her.  Fast asleep, she hugged the plush silver wolf Joker had given her a while back, saying that there were aspects of her personality similar to that of the wild animal's, and held onto it as if it were a life line.  
  
The alarm clock beside the bed began to buzz.  Kara snarled out a soft curse and shoved her head under a pillow, trying to block out the sound.  The longer it continued its incessant noise, the more irritated she became.  
  
"For fuck's sake, Joker, kill the damned noise!" she barked out, though her voice was muffled from beneath the fluffy mountain it was buried under.  Fully awake now, thanks to the continuous buzzing that her fiancé couldn't find it within himself to wake up and stop, she rolled over to smack her hand on the clock.  Nearly falling out of bed as there was no body to stop her in her pursuit of the alarm, she shot up, momentarily forgetting about the clock and looked around the room.  
  
Her and Joker's apartment, not the loft on the Normandy, greeted her eyes.  Fumbling, her hands now shaking uncontrollably, she finally found the alarm clock and shut it off as the date and time burned itself into her brain.  It was 0700 on the 28th of August.  It was the day Joker and her were to get married.  She wasn't scared or nervous about marrying him, in fact she couldn't wait to become Mrs. Kara Moreau.  She just never thought she'd ever find someone willing to put up with her long enough to stick it out for a month or two, let alone want to spend a lifetime shackled to her.  
  
In keeping with old superstitions, stating that with what they would be heading into any help would be welcomed, Joker stayed on the Normandy and shooed her off to their apartment to spend the night apart.  He didn't want to see her on their wedding day until she was walking down the aisle - or some sort of a runner, in their case, since it was an outdoor ceremony.  
  
"Shit," Kara whispered to herself, the realization that she forgot to look at wedding dresses slamming into her.  She had picked out the garter and shoes that she'd be comfortable in, but every time she meant to go out shopping for the main outfit, she always got sidetracked by something.  Tears pooled in her eyes and her heart sank, knowing that she'd never have a chance to find something within the next three hours and get the rest of herself dolled up.  Joker had put in so much time and effort, even with everyone else's help, to make this a special occasion for the both of them and she just screwed it up.  Why couldn't he have let them elope?  
  
"Why so glum on your wedding day, sweetie?"  
  
Kara's head snapped up to see Kasumi standing in the doorway, hip cocked to the side and a grin on the thief's face.  Her eyes then traveled to the large white plastic hanging bag slung over the woman's right arm.  
  
"Forgot to buy a wedding dress.  Joker's gonna hate me.  Might as well take whatever you bought to get yourself all prettied up in back to the store and just go in your casuals so we all look at least semi uniform," she sighed.  
  
"Joker figured you'd forget so he had me take care of that, Shepard.  I've got your dress and other necessities right here," Kasumi said as she walked further into the room and lay the dress bag carefully on the bed along with a satchel.  
  
"Oh thank the gods," Kara remarked as she crawled out of the bed and padded over to the garment bag.  She stared at it for a few moments, nervously adjusting her grey shorts and Joker's flight school shirt.  
  
"Go on, open it!  It's not going to bite you, you know," Kasumi chuckled.  
  
"I know, I know.  Where's everyone else, by the way?" Kara asked as she finally began to pull down the zipper, freeing the dress from the bag.  
  
"Tali is at the park checking and rechecking the layout so she and that drone of hers can take pictures of the ceremony.  Miranda is making sure everything is set up correctly and that security is in place.  Jack… who knows what she's up to?  And your Matron of Honor, Dr. Chakwas, as well as Councilor Anderson, will meet you here an hour before the ceremony, so we have two hours to make sure this thing fits correctly or I'll be doing some quick adjustments."  
  
As Kasumi talked, Kara pulled the dress from its confines, her eyes widening as she took in the shimmery white material.  Running her hand over the corset top, her brow wrinkled slightly.  
  
"The boobs of this thing better be covered, Kasumi.  There's no way in hell I'm walking out there with a see through top where everyone can see my nipples.  And the skirt looks like something you'd find on top of a banana crème pie… what do they call it?  Meringue or something like that?  The fluffy egg white stuff?  Just not toasted or whatever.  Ok, great, now I'm hungry for banana crème pie…"  
  
"Don't worry, Shepard, you won't be advertising your wares to the public.  Your breasts will be covered.  The rest of the top is a bit sheer to show off that gorgeous skin of yours to perfection.  There's a choker necklace in the same material that goes with it.  I picked up a veil for you, as well, m'dear."  
  
Nodding to Kasumi, Kara went to the closet and pulled out her shoes and the small bag with the garter in it.  Catching the thief's odd look, she turned to the woman and quirked a brow.  
  
"Is there a problem, Kasumi?"  
  
"I already bought you shoes to go with the dress, Kara.  Don't tell me you're planning on wearing those…" the other woman nodded at the white knee high combat boots.  
  
"Uh, yeah I'm planning on wearing them.  I wouldn't have bought 'em if I wasn't gonna wear 'em," Kara frowned.  
  
"I have a perfectly respectable pair of heels here for you and they look absolutely gorgeous."  
  
Kara shook her head and pointed to the boots.  "I'm wearing those.  They'll be comfortable with all the time I'm gonna be on my feet, plus I won't be towering over Joker.  I'm almost as tall as he is, and with the Vrolik's, he hunches a bit, so there's no way in hell I want to add inches to my height."  
  
"Very well," Kasumi sighed, before giving Kara a pointed look and shifting her eyes to the dress.  "Ok, strip then shower and get dressed."    
  
Muttering under her breath at being barked at like some sort of underling, Kara shot the thief a dark look then shuffled off to lock herself into the bathroom.  Taking her time, she lathered and rinsed, shaved and exfoliated, using the feminine gunk the women had given her during her bachelorette party the night prior.  Drying herself off, she used liberal amounts of lotion to try and soften up her skin, her brows furrowing at the calluses on her hands from rifle use.  
  
"Well if he wanted someone ultra feminine and soft, he wouldn't have asked me to marry him," she murmured to herself.  Pulling on a slinky bit of white nothing to at least cover her nether regions, Kara stepped into the bedroom and found herself almost immediately engulfed by the dress.  
  
"Holy shit!  Give a woman some warning first, will ya?" Kara yelped.  
  
"Raise your arms and let me tug this over you," Kasumi ignored Kara's comment.  Sighing, Kara did as requested and let the woman pull and maneuver the fluff into place.  While Kasumi checked on the length of the skirt, Kara fastened a little cord that ran just under her breasts to keep her girls from falling out.  
  
"Even with the baby bulge beginning, the dress fits you perfectly, Shepard," the woman smiled at Kara, ushering her over to the full length mirror that stood in the corner of the room.  Kara's eyes went wide as she saw herself in the dress and she sat shakily on the corner of the bed, her hand rising up to cover her mouth.  
  
"I never… I never thought I could look like this.  It's… it's beautiful, almost like a dream," she whispered.  
  
"Just wait til we get your face made up, the hair done, and the veil in place."  
  
Nodding, Kara picked up her boots, fishing out the folded pair of socks from inside the left one, then quickly put them on, sliding the garter up to its home on her upper thigh before strapping on her boots and feeling a bit more steady now that she had something familiar on her person.  Sitting quietly, she patiently allowed Kasumi to dry her hair and curl the ends of it so it fell in soft waves over her shoulders to the middle of her back.    
  
"Hmm, something smoky, I think, on the eyes, and a deep red lip stain.  Yes, that's it.  Gorgeous!" Kasumi said as she fiddled with the different pigments and applied them to Kara's face.  Kara felt the slight bite of the comb as Kasumi added the veil, waiting until the other woman said it was okay for her to open her eyes so she could see the final product.  The moment she was given the all clear, she gazed at herself in the mirror, her jaw dropping open.  
  
"Joker won't know what hit him when he sees you walking down the aisle."  
  
"Hell I don't know what hit me and I'm staring at me…" she stopped as they heard the chime of someone requesting entrance to the apartment.  
  
"I'll get that," Kasumi said, disappearing out the door.  
  
Kara fiddled with the skirt of her dress, the high and low tones of extra voices filtering from the living room back into the bedroom.  She couldn't make out what was being said or who they belonged to.  With each moment that passed without word from Kasumi, her nerves grew.  
  
"Oh my… Kara, Commander Shepard, you look breathtaking!"   
  
Kara's cheeks pinkened as she looked up to see Dr. Chakwas standing in the doorway with Councilor Anderson right behind her.    
  
"Your fiancé won't be able to speak coherently when he sees you," Anderson said with a soft chuckle.  Standing, Kara walked over to the two and found herself engulfed in loving arms.  
  
"Thank you.  Just… thank you," she said, her eyes welling with tears as she looked at the two people who had become, in her heart, the parents she'd always wanted but never had.  
  
"Shall we get going?" Anderson asked, holding his arm out to Kara.  
  
"Let's get this show on the road, Councilor," she replied, resting her hand lightly on Anderson's forearm.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Joker tugged at the collar of his tuxedo as he looked nervously between the gazebo where he and Kara were to be married, and the crowd of people already sitting and waiting to see the two of them pledge their eternal lives together.  Many of them were the crew from the Normandy SR2, but interspersed within them were friends they had made during the SR1's maiden voyage and their subsequent chase of Saren.  Some were friends they had made during their time chasing after the Collectors.  Looking around he spotted Captain Kirrahe and his men, Wrex and Liara, Gianna Parisini, the colonists from Zhu's Hope, and many others.  He bounced on the balls of his feet as he saw Tali approach the front row and take her seat, knowing that the ceremony would be starting soon.  Only one chair remained empty now, beside the quarian, and it was reserved for the man who would be walking his fiancée down the aisle and giving her away.  
  
"Calm down, son," his father said from beside him.  A large, warm, hand rested itself on Joker's shoulder and he turned to look up at the man who was a taller, straighter, older version of Jeff.  "You remind me so much of myself on the day I married your mother.  All nervous energy.  I wish we'd had a chance to meet her before today, but I can already tell that she makes you very happy."  
  
"Yeah… I'm happier than I ever thought I would ever be.  Kara's incredible - she's strong, fearless, and does what has to be done without compromising who she is.  I still can't believe she loves me…"  
  
"She's loved you for years," Garrus said softly.  
  
Joker smiled wanly at the two beside him then turned toward the crowd as the soft strains of music began to fill the small grove.  His gaze was riveted to the white runner that trailed from the gazebo, through the mass of chairs, and past the wild colors of the demael flowers to disappear in the direction that Kara would be coming from.  He could barely keep his hands still, constantly tugging either at the hem of the jacket or the collar of his shirt.  His tension eased slightly as Dr. Chakwas began her walk down the aisle, looking quite regal.  Kasumi was next and he was sure he wasn't the only one who's eyebrows rose as they all finally saw the thief without her face constantly in shadow.  Shiny black hair was pulled back into a loose bun at the nape of the woman's neck, her off the shoulder gown matching the lip tattoo perfectly in color.  
  
The tempo changed and the music lightened to something bubbly and cheerful, signaling the approach of the bride-to-be.  
  
"This is it," Joker whispered to himself, his eyes glued toward the direction Kara would be coming from.  
  
Gasps rippled through the crowed, along with whispered words of astonishment, as Kara walked down the aisle on Councilor Anderson's arm.  Joker didn't hear the comments about how she looked or the dress she wore.  He couldn't see or hear anything other than her.  The moment she came into his view, time seemed to slow down and everyone else disappeared as he concentrated on the vision in white.  He pinched himself several times, pinching himself harder the closer she came, to make sure that what he saw wasn't a dream.  He ran his fingers through his hair then yet again tugged at the hem of his jacket before approaching Kara and Anderson so he could walk her the rest of the way toward the priestess.  
  
"He can't keep his eyes off of you," Anderson murmured to Kara.  She gently squeezed his arm, her spirits soaring with each step she took toward Joker.  He looked so handsome in his tuxedo, the day lily in the lapel matching the bouquet she carried.  Her gaze was momentarily focused on the man standing beside him, and she got a good idea of what her fiancé would look like years down the road if they survived the trip through the Omega 4 Relay.  She flashed Joker's father a smile, which was heartily returned, then resumed her focus on the man who would soon become her husband.  As Joker approached and Anderson transferred her hand from his arm to Jeff's, whatever nerves had balled up inside her disappeared.  
  
"You look like a dream," Joker whispered to her as they neared the steps to the gazebo. Kara blinked back tears, her smile blinding, and it almost took his breath away.  Her hand tightened on his arm and they turned to face the priestess who stood at the top of the gazebo behind the altar that had been set up.  Mr. Moreau and Dr. Chakwas came up to the stair two beneath Kara and Joker, with Kasumi and Garrus on the bottom step of the wide staircase.  Kara turned to hand Dr. Chakwas her bouquet then focused her attention on the man beside her as well as the Asari presiding over the ceremony.  
  
"Friends!  We have gathered here today to witness the joining of two lives, two hearts.  Kara Ann Shepard and Jeffery Benjamin Moreau have brought you all together to share with them the moment when they are no longer two separate beings but instead one whole entity.  The sanctity of marriage is a solemn undertaking which they approach with joy in their souls."  
  
The light purple skinned asari smiled at the couple.  Kara slid her hand from Joker's arm down to entwine her fingers with his.  
  
"It is time for the exchange of vows.  Jeff, if you would begin?" the priestess stated.  Joker nodded then turned toward Kara, taking her other hand in his so that he was holding both of them.  
  
"Kara, you mean the world to me.  You gave your life for me.  You let me be your strength when yours falters.  You have filled my world with meaning.  You have made me so happy and more fulfilled as a person.  Thank you for taking me as I am; loving me, and welcoming me into your heart.  I promise to always love you, respect you as an individual, and to be faithful to you forever.  Today I choose you to be my partner, and commit myself to you for the rest of my life," he vowed, his cheeks reddening at the flowery words he had just spouted, knowing that the rest of the crew would probably not let him ever live it down.  Fumbling in his pocket, he pulled out a narrow band of platinum and slid it over her finger, his gaze returning to hers.  
  
"With this ring, I promise to stand by your side through all things.  I promise to be the best husband I can be," he finished, lifting the hand with her ring to his lips and pressing a gentle  kiss to her knuckles.  
  
"Damnit, you're gonna make me cry," Kara whispered, sniffling softly.  
  
"Shit, think the ground slopes enough that all the run-off from your tears will make it into the lake instead of flooding us?" Joker retorted, his voice quiet, and earned a laugh from his betrothed.  The two quieted down as the priestess nodded to Kara, letting her know that it was her turn.  Taking a deep breath, she locked her eyes with his, before speaking.  
  
"Jeff, you're the other half of me.  When people speak of Commander Shepard doing the impossible yet again, it's because I have you to support me.  You give me the strength I need to continue on, even knowing that the journey might not last as long as I'd like.  I choose you, Jeff, as my best friend, my love for life.  I promise you my deepest love, my fullest devotion, my tenderest care, through the pressures of the present and the uncertainties of the future.  I promise to be faithful to you.  I promise to love you, to commit to you, and support you.  You have shown me what love feels like and for that I thank you.  You are everything I need and at this moment I know all of my prayers have been answered, that all of my dreams have come true.  I praise the gods for you Jeff, for all of your love and constant friendship.  I know that our love is a gift from the gods and I promise to be here forever and always, whether it be in body or spirit.  From this day forward, you shall not walk alone.  My heart will be your shelter and my arms will be your home.  As I have given you my hand to hold, I give you my life to keep."  
  
Her fingers trembled as she took the matching platinum band from Dr. Chakwas' hand and slid it onto his ring finger.  The sheen she saw in his eyes threatened to cause her own tears to spill.  
  
"With this ring, I promise to stand by your side through all things.  I promise to be the best wife I can be," she finished, squeezing his hand gently within her own.  
  
"With the vows spoken, and the rings exchanged, I now pronounce you husband and wife.  I would like to present to the crowd Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery Moreau," the priestess stated, then looked down at the two.  "You may kiss your bride."  
  
Oblivious to the raucous cheering going on around them, Joker ran his finger lightly under Kara's chin and tipped her face up toward his.  Feathering his thumb over her bottom lip, he then leaned forward to blanket her mouth with his own, taking more care in this kiss than he had any other as it was their first kiss as a married couple.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Seriously, Kara?" Joker laughed as he raised the hem of her gown to reach for the garter, encountering her white combat boots in the process.  
  
"Hey, they're comfortable and go well enough with the gown Kasumi picked out," she grinned in response.  
  
"All that's missing is a set of dog tags, I swear," he snickered.  Kara's eyes sparkled with mischief at his words and she removed the lace collar necklace that Kasumi had purchased as an accompaniment to the dress.  Joker looked up just as he was about to stand, garter in hand, and fell back on his ass in laughter as he noticed her tags revealed once the choker had been unclasped.  
  
"Liara gave them to me as a pre-wedding gift.  She wouldn't tell me how she got a hold of them, but now that I got 'em again, they're not coming off."  
  
"Only you would wear combat boots and dog tags with a wedding dress."  
  
"And you love me for it."  
  
"I married you, didn't I?"  
  
Laughing, Kara swatted her husband playfully before reaching a hand out to help him stand.  The moment he was steady on his feet, Joker yanked Kara to him, taking her mouth in another heated kiss.  As the crowd cheered and jeered behind them, without pulling away from her lips, Joker tossed the garter behind him.  The two broke away just in time to see a red faced Ken Donnelly catch the garment and the look the young man gave Gabriella Daniels - the one who was not only his best friend but who had caught the bridal bouquet as well.  
  
"Hmm, another romance in the making?" Kara whispered.  
  
"They remind me a lot like us, actually.  Best friends moving in a whole new direction."  
  
"I hope we survive the mission so they actually have a chance to be together."  
  
"With you in command and me at the helm, it can't get any better," Joker smiled at his wife.  
  
"I love you, Mr. Moreau."  
  
"And I love you, Mrs. Moreau."


	16. Project Overlord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Cerberus science lab has gone dark, worrying the Illusive Man. What will Kara find there?

"Gods, I’m honestly starting to wonder if I’m going to pop the twins out before we head through the Omega 4 with everything that’s been cropping up,” Kara sighed, curling up on the console next to her husband.  
  
“Shouldn’t be too much longer, I’m sure,” Joker soothed, reaching over to pat her knee.  “I mean you’ve got everyone’s personal bullshit taken care of so they can be ‘more at peace’ with their lives and head happily into oblivion if shit ends up sideways on the other side of the relay.  That leaves, what, going after the IFF, right?  Collector base is just around the corner.”    
  
“If only if it were that simple… and out of everyone's 'personal bullshit', I’m really glad I was able to help Thane with his.”  
  
“How’re things with him and his son?” Joker asked.    
  
“Kolyat’s still being a major brat, but they’re talking at least,” she replied, her fingers massaging the ache building over her temples.  “But as far as the derelict reaper being our next stop, that’s not happening any time too soon.  One of the Illusive Man’s science facilities has gone dark - and from the sound of things it’s something that needs to be taken care of ASAP.  Hell, the shit that goes on there is secretive enough he didn’t feel comfortable letting me know in the missive he sent me - lack of security protocols or some crap.  On top of that, Liara is ready to take the fight to the Shadow Broker so that’s next after we deal with this shit on Aite.”  
  
“Damn, figures, the closer we get, the further behind it seems we are,” Joker grumbled.  “I just want this over and done with so we can get on with our lives until the Reapers arrive.”    
  
“Can we rewind time back about a month so we can still be on our honeymoon with nothing to think about but food, sleep, and sex, with no Collectors or Reapers or, hell, crew members butting their heads into our lives?”  
  
“If only,” Joker squeezed Kara’s knee gently, looking up from his console long enough to notice the strain around her eyes and mouth, along with the dark circles forming under her lower lashes and the pallor of her skin.  It was just more proof that the stress she was dealing with was taking a toll on her mentally, physically, and emotionally.  “It’ll be a few hours before we reach Aite, love, so head down to Gardner, grab some food, then take a nap.  You look like you’re about to fall over.”  
  
“Ate before I came up here, but a nap sounds good.  Buzz me when it’s time for me to get up, will ya?”  Kara leaned forward to kiss Joker’s cheek before heading toward the elevator.  His eyes followed her until the doors  closed behind her, worry lines etched into his own skin.  Syncing up his omni tool with the  console in front of him, Joker opened up a link to a camera he’d had set up in their room so he  could keep an eye on her, just in case.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
The nap was exactly what she needed.  Feeling a hell of a lot more refreshed than she had earlier, Kara suited up and grabbed her guns, fingers tracing almost reverently over the Widow she had picked up on the Collector ship.  Murmuring an apology to her trusty Incisor sniper rifle, she grabbed her new toy and left her cabin for the mess hall, intending to grab a nutrient bar and a couple of her squad mates for the trip planet side.  
  
“I DO NOT SNORE!!”  
  
Grunt’s bellow caught her by surprise, and Kara entered the mess cautiously, unsure of what she would find.  Seeing the krogan’s fingers flexing over his Claymore shotgun put her on high alert and she stepped in between him and the others glaring daggers in his direction.  The moment the crew realized she was there, the room exploded into a mass cacophony of noise as everyone began speaking at once.  
  
“The noise is too much!”  
  
“Commander, you’ve gotta do something about Grunt.”  
  
“The snoring is out of control!”  
  
“Enough!” Kara let out a shriek of a whistle, silencing everyone at once, as did the glare she levied at those in the mess hall, the only exception being the man in the back corner laughing so hard he was about to slide out of his chair.  Lifting an eyebrow, the only response she got was a cheeky grin from her husband.  “What the hell is going on, and don’t everybody start talking at once!”  
  
“Commander, something must be done about Grunt’s snoring,” Miranda began, huffing a bit as she folded her arms over her chest.  “It’s been getting worse lately, to the point the sound is coming quite clearly through the air vents.  Some of the engineers thought there was an issue with the ship itself until they realized what the noise was.  It distracts those trying to work, such as myself, and others have stated that it keeps them awake at night.”  
  
“And what makes you think the noise is coming from Grunt?” Kara asked,  her question receiving a snort from her husband’s direction as he fell back into a gale of silent laughter.  Quirking a grin at him, she rolled her eyes, then looked back at the others, waiting for an answer.  
  
“Oh c’mon, Shepard, lookit him!  Who else could it be?” Jack stated.  “He’s the only ones with lungs fucking big enough to let out that kind of rumble.”  
  
Joker let out a bark of laughter loud enough to have everyone looking over at him, which was soon joined by a snickering laugh by his wife.  
  
“I suggest you all invest in a few pairs of earplugs if the noise bothers you that much…” she began, before Grunt cut her off.  
  
“It’s not me, Shepard!”  
  
“I know it isn’t, Grunt,” Kara said, patting the krogan’s arm, her gaze then going back out into the crowd.  “For your information, I have lungs ‘fucking big enough’ to let out that kind of rumble too.  You got a problem with it and don’t want to take my suggestion, you all know where the airlocks are.  Don’t let the ship hit you in the ass on your way out.  Grunt, Garrus, grab your gear and meet me at the shuttle.  We’ve got a job to do.”  Kara smiled sweetly at the others as she headed toward the drawer where Gardner kept the nutrition bars, then exited toward the elevator and into the shuttle bay.  
  
“Shit, she was joking, wasn’t she, Joker?” Jack asked the moment the Commander was out of earshot.  
  
“Nope.  Walked in on her once when she was snoring loud enough to rattle the glass of the display cases in our room.  It’s gotten worse as the twins get bigger, with how they sit when she’s sleeping.  Like she said, if it bothers you that much, get earplugs.  They actually work,” he answered with a grin, getting up and heading to the elevator himself, wanting to be at the controls of the ship while his wife was off on another assignment.  
  
~~~~~~~~~   
  
“I’m really starting to hate this experiment Cerberus dubbed Project Overlord.  Nothing good comes from working with live geth,” Garrus muttered as they made their way through the third station, Prometheus, his eyes searching every shadowed corner of the downed geth vessel turned research center.  
  
“You’re telling me.  This place gives me the creeps,” Kara shuddered, pausing to activate another terminal, curious to hear what one of the scientists had logged, then snorted out a laugh.  
  
 _“Lanigan just ran a simulation - - if these geth wake up, there’s a 98% chance that we will be dead within two minutes. I’m starting to hate Lanigan.”  
  
“Halloween was yesterday. Lanigan ran around wearing spare geth parts. Spooked the shit out of everyone. Now I definitely hate him.”_  
  
“I don’t know about you, but I think I actually like this Lanigan.  Sounds like he’s doing what he can to make the best out of a bad situation, even if he is scaring the shit out of his fellow co-workers,” Shepard grinned.  
  
“Sounds like something you or Joker would do,” Garrus laughed in response.  
  
“Hey, I heard that!” Joker’s voice crackled through the comm., making the three of them grin even wider.  
  
“Gotta agree with him though, love,” Kara retorted.  
  
“After what Wrex told me of the two of you, I can see it,” Grunt laughed.  
  
“Wrex was just as bad.  Hell, between him, me, Tali, Joker, and our Commander here, we got into so much shit…” the turian snickered.  
  
“I think that’s why Udina went gray.  He kept waiting for one of us to cause a galactic incident,” Joker piped in, earning murmurs of agreement from his wife and Garrus.  
  
“Well let’s get this show on the road and get that second lockdown override taken care of.  My inner alarm is ringing at klaxon level.”  
  
“Don’t jinx us, Kara, please don’t,” Garrus pleaded, as he and Grunt followed behind.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kara’s legs were a bit wobbly as the three of them stumbled out of the elevator after it had plummeted an unknown amount of stories before finally hitting bottom.  They had finally made it to Atlas station, and between the issues at Prometheus and what had happened so far in this one, mainly the elevator, she wondered if she had, indeed, jinxed them all.  
  
“You okay, Kara?” Garrus asked, resting a hand on his friend’s shoulder.  
  
“I’m fine.  No injuries, just a stomach that won’t remove itself from my throat,” she croaked.  “I don’t think I’ll look at elevators the same way again, including the one on the Normandy.”  
  
Both looked back to see Grunt swaying a bit from the ride.  “I shouldn’t have eaten such a large lunch,” their krogan squadmate muttered, making his way over to the two of them.  “I’m not sure if it’s still in my stomach where it belongs.”  
  
“Just as long as you don’t end up puking it all over me or shitting it out inside your suit, we’re good,” Garrus said, stepping a bit to the side just in case Grunt was unable to hold down his meal.  
  
“Nah, I’m good.”  
  
“I just want this over with soon so I can kick the shit out of Archer.  After that last log we listened to, I’ve got a bad feeling about this VI we’re dealing with,” Kara growled, stalking over to another active terminal to see if there were any other ‘gems’ left to listen to.  
  
 _“Archer Log 157.8: Unless he sees results, the Illusive man is shutting us down next week. I have no choice. I am going to tap David directly into the geth neural network and see if he can influence them. Danger should be negligible. David might even enjoy it.”  
  
“Archer Log 164.4: I’d be lying if I said that no harm could come to David. His autistic mind is just as alien to me as an actual alien. Anything could happen when we plug him in. But I have to try, don’t I?”_  
  
“Shit.  Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!”  Kara slammed her fist down onto the desk, her cybernetics glowing hot behind her silver-blue eyes.  “What kind of sick bastard does something like this to another human being, let alone family?  His own brother!  A young man who Archer turned from a so called ‘handicap’ into a tool just because he knew David would trust him implicitly.”  
  
Still muttering under her breath, the three of them entered the control room.  Kara activated her omni-tool and began to interface with the controls, doing what she could to override the hybrid VI trying to take over and infect its virus into every known system it could access.  The further along in the process she went, the more of herself she left open, giving David the opportunity he needed to hack into her cybernetics, bringing her into his world.  Kara stumbled, barely catching herself on the edge of the console, then turned and, dazed, made her way out of the room.  Garrus and Grunt exchanged glances then dashed after their commander, though the door to the room crashed down, locking them in, before they could reach her.  
  
“Shepard!” Grunt yelled, using his massive strength and body weight to slam into the offending piece of metal, doing nothing more than putting a huge dent in it though it did not budge.  
  
“Spirits, Joker’s going to kill us,” Garrus sighed.  
  
“Joker’s going to do what, now?” the aforementioned pilot asked over the comm.  
  
“Something happened to Shepard when she was trying to cut off the VI’s communication to outside systems.  She stumbled out of the room like she’d had one too many to drink and that damnedable VI locked us in before we could get to her,” the turian answered.  
  
“Sonuvabitch,” Joker growled, flipping on his external link with his wife, through her comm. unit, to try and get a sense of what was going on.  Unlike normal, this time the image that came back to him was nothing but static, sending him into a state of panic.  “I can’t get a feed on her.  Either something fried her tool or her signal’s blocked to me.  Damnit!”  
  
While her friends and husband were unable to reach her, leaving them understandably upset, Kara continued down the hallway, her mind and body finally now her own again.  She blinked rapidly as the landscape changed from something recognizable to a reality she could only describe as blocky and pixilated.  Reaching out, she verified that the walls were solid, just somehow computerized.  
  
“Talk about a major mindfuck.”  
  
She crept slowly throughout the halls, taking out any geth she came across, her brain finally making more sense of her surroundings, and an understanding dawning on her as to what was going on when she could finally understand David clearly.  
  
“Please, make it stop!” she heard him cry out numerous times.  The pain in his voice brought tears to her own eyes.  
  
“I will,” she whispered the promise, knowing the young man wouldn’t be able to hear her.  Switching to her Mattock from the Widow, and equipping it with disruptor ammo, Kara stepped into the last room after a tense ride down another elevator, fearful it would fall as the last one had, and stared in disbelief at the scene in front of her.  He was too shielded by the contraption for her to get too good of a look at what had been done, but what she had seen at first glance, with the wires running through the young man’s arms to hold him upright and lock him into the system… it disgusted her.  
  
“Please, make it stop!  Make it quiet!”  
  
Unleashing everything she had at the shield generators and armoring, once she was sure she was in no danger and the virtual reality had faded away, Kara took a closer look at David.  A shaky hand covered her mouth as the true reality set in - the way his eyelids were forcibly  held open, the cranial crown supporting his head, the tubing running into his mouth and down his throat, the way he was suspended…  
  
“By the Gods…”  
  
“Holy shit, Kara, don’t tell me I’m seeing what I’m seeing,” Joker whispered in her ear.  
  
“I wish I could tell you it’s just a nightmare but sadly, it’s not, though I’m sure it’s been one for him,” she replied just as softly.  
  
“Wait, Commander, don’t do anything rash!” Archer called out to her as he ran into the room.  
  
“Don’t do anything rash?   _Don’t do anything rash?!_  You… you did this to your brother and you’re telling me to be careful of _my_ actions?  You’re fucking insane!” Kara rounded on the scientist, her fingers tightening on the trigger of the assault rifle in her hands.  
  
“I know how this must look but I never intended any harm to come to David.  You must believe me!  This was never planned  - just an accident!  Seeing David communicate with the geth… it all seemed harmless.”  
  
“Your brother is crying out for peace, to make the noise stop, and you call this harmless?  I should put a bullet in your brain right now for what you’ve done!  I’ve seen his memories.  He begged you not to do this!  Gods, Cerberus was already sitting really fucking low on my respect meter and this just plummeted it into the fires of the deep, almost like that damned elevator near the entrance of the building.”  
  
“I was desperate - the Illusive Man doesn’t broker failure.”  
  
“I don’t give a shit about that - the fact that you chose him and his wants and needs over the wants and needs of your brother… you’re no better than the Illusive Asshat.  You’ll use any means necessary to get your desired results - whether it’s spending two years rebuilding someone from death to use as a weapon against the Collectors, or hooking a man up to geth technology and turning him into a human hybrid VI and expecting there to be no consequences.  Well there are consequences.  You’re the only survivor of this facility - the rest of your people are dead.  Your brother is in immense pain.  Oh, and I’m shutting you down.”  
  
“I won’t apologize for my radical ideas.  Any war with the geth will be bloody and I was tasked with trying to remedy that.  If my work spares a million mothers the grief of losing a million sons, my conscience will rest easy,” Gavin continued, trying to explain away the nightmare vision in front of them.  
  
“You bastard.  Look at him.  Look at David!  He’ll never be the same.  Even if some of the damage is reversible, if I let him stay with you, with Cerberus, he’ll always be considered a lab rat.”  
  
“But a well cared for lab rat,” Archer murmured.  "At least he'll still be alive."  
  
“Gods, you’re disgusting.  You still consider your own brother a test subject - you don’t even see him as human anymore, do you?  He’s no longer family, only a means to an end for you, isn’t he?  You’d sacrifice him and his happiness for your own fucking ambitions?”  
  
“The square root of 906.01 is…” David began.  
  
“30.1,” Gavin answered, his voice going soft.  “What I’ve done to David is unethical… if he dies, unforgivable.  Let me take care of him.  Please.”  
  
“You’re nuts.  You’re fucking nuts.  There’s no way in hell I’m going to let him stay in your care.  The moment I left you’d be back to running tests on him.  He’s coming with me,” Kara snarled.  
  
“Quiet… please, make it stop,” David pleaded, his eyes boring into Kara’s as her gaze focused back on his again.  
  
“He’s coming with me,” her voice gentled, returning the young man’s stare.  
  
“No, leave him!  He’s too valuable!” Gavin yelled, pulling out a pistol and firing rounds at Kara, which she dodged easily due to his bad aim.  Reaching out, she grabbed the gun from the scientist and slammed it against Archer’s head, the man crumpling to his knees before her as she aimed it in between his eyes.  
  
“You even think of going near David again, this bullet will be waiting for you,” she hissed.  “Then we’ll see who’s valuable.”  
  
“Where… where will you take him?”  
  
“Grissom Academy.  They help special cases like him, without the torture.  I will make sure he’s settled in and comfortable, as well as letting the staff know what happened to him and who did it.  You’ve mistreated your brother for the last time.”  
  
Turning on her heel, Kara made her way toward the contraption, Garrus and Grunt finally entering the room now that their prison had become unsealed.  
  
“Kara, I just contacted Grissom Academy and let them know we’re coming,” Joker stated over the comm.  
  
“Thanks, love.  Garrus, Grunt, would you please help support David while I unhook him from this nightmare?  I want to keep the damage to his already abused body limited, in case he falls, which could possibly cause any one of these lines to rip out.”  
  
“Of course, Shepard,” Garrus answered for the both of them, his feral gaze then landing on Gavin.  “You got off easy, Archer.  The only thing you can do for your brother now is grab something we can use to cover him for the trip back to the Normandy.”  
  
“And if the Illusive Shit doesn’t like what I’m doing, he can fucking fire me for all I care,” Kara muttered as she removed each piece from David with infinite care.  Archer left the room, returning only long enough with a lab coat for his brother before disappearing altogether.  
  
“The square root of 912.04 is 30.2.  It all seemed harmless…” David softly chanted.  
  
“You’re safe now, David.  I’ll do what I can to make the noise stop,” Kara murmured into his ear as she removed the last pieces of equipment from his body.  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
“I’m coming with you when you take him down there, to Grissom,” Joker said as Kara made herself comfortable on her usual perch while Dr. Chakwas tended to David who had passed out shortly after he had been freed from the contraption.  
  
“Why’s that?” she asked, doing her best to try and calm down with the breathing exercises the doctor had taught her a couple of years prior.    
  
“Because, damnit, after seeing what was done to him down there, while the school will do what they can for him and treat him well, I want to make sure we’re on his paperwork as guardians or something because he needs someone who actually gives a damn about his wellbeing outside of the school,” Joker’s eyes flashed as he looked up at his wife.  “He didn’t deserve to be treated like that just because he’s different.  This way we’ll also know if his jackass brother actually tries to get near him, too.”  
  
Kara slipped off her perch  and into Joker’s waiting arms, hugging him close.  
  
“Let’s make it a temporary arrangement for now, if they agree, and work for something more permanent, like full guardianship, once we’re done taking out the Collector base.  In case shit goes sideways on the other side of the Omega 4, as you put it the other day, permanent  might not be the best thing at the moment, but I agree with you.”  
  
“You’re fantastic, you know that?” he mumbled into her hair.  “What would you say to adoption if we make it back?  He needs a real family, y’know, and we’ll be able to give him that, between us, my dad, Gunny, the twins…”  
  
“I’d say you’re a man after my own heart.  Then again, if you weren’t, I wouldn’t have married you.”  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
As the two slept a few nights later, curled up in each other’s arms, an official document lay prominently on Kara’s desk, awarding the two of them temporary custody of David Archer, expedited through the courts thanks to Kaylee Sanders and the documentation provided by her and Dr. Chakwas of David’s condition after being removed from his brother’s care.


	17. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liara and Kara finally get a chance to reconnect.

Shower finished, white t-shirt and black over-tank tossed on to compliment her black and white fatigue pants and combat boots… ahhh, life felt a bit more normal after cleaning up after a bloody battle.  Granted, most of the blood was yahg blood instead of her own, but still, the stuff got real itchy as it dried and, no matter how well manufactured, the armor always felt like an oven, leaving her sweaty and sticky after a bit of running around.  Running her hands lightly over the ever-growing baby bulge, Kara left the loft to spend some time with Joker, letting her hair air dry and cool her off.  
  
She hadn’t had really any time to talk to him in between grabbing Liara off of Illium prior to heading to Hagalaz, so she was looking forward to decompressing with her husband and watching the stars fly past as they headed back for what might end up being their last trip to the Citadel if things didn’t go well on the other side of the Omega 4.  
  
“Shepard, a truck… _**TRUCK**_!” Joker mimicked the moment he heard his wife enter the cockpit, letting out a little snicker of a laugh.  “Sounds like your driving hasn’t improved since the time of the Mako.”  
  
“Oh, my favorite was ‘Liara, where’s the gun on this thing?’ ‘It’s a taxi, Shepard, it has a fare meter!’  Pure gold, I tell you,” Garrus laughed.  
  
“Joker, sweetheart, are you actually wanting to be relegated to the sofa, tonight?” Kara asked her husband, a sweet smile curving her lips, earning a scowl from him and a snort of laughter from their turian friend.  
  
“Oh-ho, looks like wedded bliss is finally at an end,” Garrus grinned.  
  
“You’re not off the hook either, Vakarian.  I should just ban you from the Main Battery for the next couple of nights so you can’t take care of “calibrations” as you call them,” Kara smirked.  Joker hid his laugh behind his hand.  
  
“Dude, did you really think I’d be in the shit alone?” Joker grinned.  
  
“Shepard, you’re so mean,” Garrus whined.  
  
“If you want mean, I could tell you which vids I helped Joker pick for your viewing pleasure.”  
  
“Joker, don’t get her pregnant again.  She’s no fun anymore,” their vigilante friend teased.  
  
“Sorry, can’t guarantee that.  Let’s just say that what we do is a hell of a lot more fun than what the vid producers could ever imagine,” Joker turned back to his console, whistling a little tune, “and it’s not always relegated to our cabin.  Some of it happens up here too.”  
  
Turning to Kara, Garrus’ mandibles twitched in embarrassment as her grin grew wider and wider.  
  
“Spirits, I didn’t need to know that.  I didn’t _want_ to know that.  Now I’ll be thinking of what I might be stepping in whenever I come up here for a visit.”  
  
“No need to worry about that, Garrus buddy.  We clean up after we’re done.  Besides, you don’t sit in my chair so there shouldn’t be any concerns on your part,” Joker retorted, his wife just sighing and shaking her head, though a grin was plastered on her face.  
  
“In all seriousness, though, Garrus, do me a favor and head down to Chakwas if you haven’t already.  That yahg thing hit you pretty good and you were out for the entire fight.  Even if you feel okay, I want you checked over,” Kara gently ordered her turian friend, earning a groan in response.  
  
“You should go too, Kara,” Joker said, turning his head to look up at his wife as Garrus left to head to the Med Bay.  
  
“Already did, before I went up and showered.   Everything is fine.  The extra armoring and barrier support on my gear is holding up perfectly according to Chakwas.  Just trying to decide whether to invite Liara onto the ship now to do some catching up or put it off for a bit.”  
  
“Why wait?  The ship isn’t too far from us - a quick shuttle ride away - and from what I could see, she could really use a friend right now, love.  Not only that, but if you put it off, when would you get a chance to see her next?  What if… what if we don’t make it back?  No, you should do it now.”  
  
“Yeah, you’re right.  I’ll get a hold of her and see if she’s interested in coming over for a bit of a visit before we head back into Citadel space.”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kara paced back and forth in her cabin, a bit nervous at the thought of seeing Liara.  Yes, they’d spoken on a few occasions since her return to the living by Cerberus hands, but none of those were in relaxed, private atmospheres such as this.  She had changed, Liara had changed… then again it had been two years since they had last truly worked together.  A small grin played over her lips, as she decided to pour the two of them something to drink while waiting, remembering how the asari had mistaken her attempts at friendship as something more.  Now it seemed as if Liara had finally come into her own and wasn’t the shy, studious type she had once been, and that her outer shell had hardened considerably.  A slight shiver went down her spine as she played back in her mind the first time she had seen Liara on  Illium, and the cold calculating tone of voice she had heard when her friend spouted the same words Matriarch Benezia had spoken to them so long ago on Noveria:  “Have you faced an asari commando unit before?  Few humans have.”  
  
The door sliding open to her and Joker’s room pulled Kara out of her musings.  Turning to smile at her friend, she let Liara take in the room that her and her husband called home when they weren’t on duty.  
  
“Enjoy the tour?”  
  
“Very much so.  It was interesting to see the changes Cerberus made to the new ship, and it feels much less cramped than the original Normandy.”  
  
“Of course it does - it’s at least twice the size of the first one,” Kara grinned.  
  
“I was able to speak to Joker for a few minutes as well.  He asked me if I’d ‘embraced eternity’ lately, and warned me that if I hadn’t, I’d better not start with you because he never learned the art of sharing,” Liara mused.  
  
“Sounds like Joker.  Neither of us shares very well.”  
  
“Though it looks as if you’ll be sharing each other soon enough, if what I’m seeing is true.  Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant, Shepard?  I would have waited, though it would have killed me to patient for so long, because the last thing I want to do is put your unborn child in danger for my benefit.”  
  
“First off, it’s twins, Liara, not just one.  And as for putting them in danger?  Think of what I’m about to do, and what I’m doing on a daily basis,” Kara sighed.  
  
“Oh, Shepard…” Liara approached Kara, laying a hand on the infiltrator’s arm.  
  
“It’s all right, Liara,” she soothed, patting the asari’s hand.  “So, what’s that you got with you?”  
  
“I was going through some of my old photos and came across this.  I thought you might like to have it,” came the answer as the picture frame was handed over to Kara.  Looking down, she grinned at the group shot, with all of her team acting up in front of the camera prior to their Virmire assignment.  Wrex stood stoically in front of the Mako with a grinning Garrus poking him in the ribs, Kaidan and Ash giving each other devil horns while acting as if the Mako was out for their blood.  Liara and Tali had their arms slung over each other’s shoulders.  Kara and Joker were in the middle, and even then it was apparent that they felt something for each other:  Joker’s arm around her waist as he grinned down at her, with her leaning on him slightly, head on his shoulder, while flipping the bird at the sign someone had draped across the vehicle - “Beware the Beast if Shepard is behind the wheel”.  
  
“Ahh, damn, good times.  Going after Saren wasn’t all sunshine and bunnies, as my husband would say, but we became a family with all the bickering and bitching that goes along with it.  This new crew, outside of the few I was able to get back from the old one, it’s just not the same.  The closeness isn’t there, not like what we had during our chase all over the galaxy to catch up with one rogue spectre and his pet reaper.”  
  
“Wouldn’t it be the other way around, Shepard, with Saren being indoctrinated?”  
  
“Eh, semantics.  You know what I mean, though.”  
  
“Yes, I believe I do,” Liara replied, finally heading down the stairs into the main room to pick up a glass of the sparkling juice Kara had poured, taking a sip.  “So, Kara, how are you doing, really?  I want the truth - not what you’re pretending for everyone else’s sake to keep morale up.”  
  
“I don’t pretend in front of Joker, nor Garrus for that matter.  They won’t let me,” Kara began, walking down to grab her own drink, and staring up at the stars through the skylight in her room.  “I’m scared, Liara.  I’ve actually got a life ahead of me that feels like it’s worth something.  Before Joker, before the twins, I could have cared less about whether I lived or died.  Living as an orphan, running the streets as a kid - it taught me that I was expendable.  As long as the job got done, that’s all that mattered.  Watching my squad on Akuze become chew toys for the thresher maws didn’t help matters either, especially after learning a few years later that we had become unwilling pawns in a Cerberus experiment.  There’s so much more I could add to that, but now… now I have people who would actually give a shit if I die and who I’d give anything to protect.  The first Normandy changed me.  This second go-round just knocked it into my head more that I actually have things worth fighting for and I don’t want to lose them.  It would kill me inside if I did.  I just… damnit!”  
  
Kara flung her glass against the far wall, causing it to shatter, her knees buckling under her to where she sat heavily on the edge of the bed.  Shoulders shaking, silent tears coursed down her cheeks, though she made no effort to hide them or wipe them away.  Liara walked over to sit next to her, and pulled her friend into her arms, letting Kara weep on her shoulder.  
  
“I don’t want this to be a suicide mission.  I can’t lose them, Liara.  Not Joker, not the twins, Chakwas, Garrus, Tali… the thought of them dying, or of me dying and never seeing them, or you, or even, gods forbid, Kaidan… it makes me freeze inside to think about.”  
  
“You’ll pull through this, Shepard.  You always seem to find a way to make the impossible, possible.  You came back from death, married the man of your dreams, and now carry his children.  If that’s not thumbing your nose at the Collectors, I don’t know what is.”  
  
Kara sniffled and let out a small bark of laughter, wiping the tears from her eyes as she sat up straight.  
  
“You’re right.  I’m good at flipping the bird at the world, yelling out ‘fuck you’, and going on with my life as I see fit.  I’ve never been one to just lay down and let fate have its way with me, but instead have grabbed my own destiny by the short hairs and dragged it in the direction I wanted to go.  Thanks, Liara.  I needed that.”  
  
“That’s what friends are for, aren’t they?  Even if I haven’t been the best of one to you.”  
  
“You’ve been a great friend.  Hell, if it wasn’t for you, I’d be in the Collector’s grimy hands right now instead of doing what needs to be done to kick their asses back into whatever black hole they crawled out of.”  
  
Smiling, Liara squeezed Kara’s hand, then stood and made her way toward the door.  
  
“Thank you for letting me visit.  I need to get back to my ship and see how Feron is doing, and you have work that needs to be done if you’re to rid the galaxy of the Collector threat.”  
  
“Just keep in touch, will ya?  Don’t let being the new Shadow Broker take up so much of your time that you forget to come up for air.”  
  
“Don’t worry, Shepard.  And if I learn anything that can help you against the Collectors, or even the Reapers since we know that day is coming, I’ll let you know,” Liara smiled, letting herself out of Kara and Joker’s cabin.  
  
Getting up from where she had collapsed on the bed, Kara picked up the photo Liara had given her, placing it in a prominent spot on the desk near the bed, then went about cleaning up the shards of glass.  
  
“Hey, Kara, you okay in there?  EDI said something about glass breaking in our room and I tuned in just long enough to hear you crying,” Joker asked, voice gentle.  
  
“Yeah, I’m all right.  Just kinda broke down for a minute when trying to explain how what we’re doing is weighing on me.”  
  
“You want me to come up there?”  
  
“Nah, I’ll come to you.  Just set a course for the Citadel, will you please?” she asked, already switching him from the comm. in the room to the one on her omni-tool as she made her way to the elevator.  
  
“If you’re sure.  About not wanting me to come up there, I mean.”  
  
“I’m already just about to exit onto the CIC floor, you brat.”  
  
“I try to be a caring husband, and she insults me.  What’s a man to do?  Oh, my wounded heart,” he sighed, though she could hear the undercurrent of laughter as she made her way back up front.  
  
“Just keep on doing what you’re doing, and that’s loving this incredibly insane blonde who you’re married to,” she answered, coming up beside him.  
  
“C’mere,” Joker ordered, motioning her forward with a finger.  
  
“What?” she asked, leaning down.  
  
Reaching up, he slid the palm of his hand across her cheek to the back of her neck, and pulled her the rest of the way forward so he could feast on her lips.  
  
“That’s what.  Now keep me company while I fly us back into “Ahh, yes, Reaper” space.”  
  
“Oh to be a fly on the wall when Councilor Sparatus actually realizes they’re real."  
  
“I’d rather not be a fly and be able to tell him I told ya so.”  
  
“So true.”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Even though it might very well be their last time ever visiting the Citadel, Kara enjoyed every minute as her and Joker strolled through the crowded shops situated in the Zakera Ward, fingers entwined as they held hands.  Resting her cheek against his shoulder, she let herself relax, and perused the  different wares, checking to see if anything was a viable upgrade for her or any of her squad mates, while also picking up a few more fish for her tank.  
  
As they left the gift shop, Kara felt something slam into her from behind and went flying, curling up into an expert roll and landing on her back as she slid along the floor, keeping the twins perfectly safe.  Joker had only been knocked a bit sideways, but what caught her eye was the quarian in a beautiful bright yellow suit, sprawled out on the floor with bags of purchases flung everywhere.  Gaze lifting more, she noticed the human C-Sec officer standing over the girl’s prone form, hands on his hips.  Her eyes narrowed when she recognized him as the one who had been harassing a quarian during her first visit back to the Citadel to see Anderson.  
  
“You know, I’m getting quite sick and tired of seeing your kind scavenging through here and taking whatever it is you think you need,” the man growled.  “I’m taking you in for shop lifting and then returning whatever shit’s in your bags back to where they came from."  
  
“Tali, get to the gift store on level 27 of Zakera Ward, stat,” Kara whispered the order through her tool as she got up from where she had been laying.  “And I’m getting sick and tired of seeing you bullying quarians every time you cross my path,” she said much louder, approaching the officer as Joker reached down to help the quarian.  
  
“Shit, not you again.  What are you, some sort of quarian lover?”  
  
“Your memory must be faulty, if you can’t remember.  I’m Kara Shepard-Moreau, Commander of the Normandy, and first human Spectre, if that rings any bells, jackass.  I swear, I ought to turn you into Captain Bailey.  I hate fucktards like you who use your power to abuse instead of protect,” she snarled, poking her finger into the man’s chest.  “And if you had even an ounce of brains inside your head, you’d be able to clearly see that those are store bags with purchase receipts attached to the outside, therefore they’re legitimate buys and not theft of property.”  
  
“You won’t need to report him, Shepard.  I saw the whole thing.  You’re fired,” Bailey stated to the officer while approaching the group.  The man grunted and slammed his badge and weapon into the captain’s waiting hand and stalked off.  “I may not do things exactly by the book but I don’t tolerate abuse of innocents.  You okay there, miss?”  
  
“Sol’Tyra nar Idenna,” the quarian replied softly.  “I… I’m okay.”  
  
“What did you need, Shepard?” Tali asked, running toward them.  “I got here as quick as I could.”  
  
“An idiot ex C-Sec officer was abusing Sol’Tyra here and I figured having you around might help, seeing a friendly face ‘n all, y’know?” she answered, turning back to Bailey.  “We’ll take her under our wing and make sure she’s safe and gets where she needs to go.”  
  
“All right.  Be careful out there, Shepard.”  
  
“You okay?  You slid a pretty good distance there, babe,” Joker asked, hands roaming lightly to check for any injuries.  
  
“Outside of the initial trip and roll, it was actually kind of fun.  They really need to wax the floors and have contests to see who can slide the farthest,” Kara grinned, leaning into him.  
  
“Figures you’d find that fun,” Joker smirked.  
  
“Thanks for sticking up for me,” Sol’Tyra said to Kara.  “I didn’t know my people were so disliked.”  
  
“You get used to it,” Tali sighed, “but while there are bosh’tets out there who see us as nothing more than scavengers, there’s people like Shepard and Joker who have proven themselves as friends to our people.”  
  
“Wait… Shepard… _the_ Shepard?  And you… omigosh.  You’re Tali’zorah nar Rayya, aren’t you?  You helped them stop the geth attack on the Citadel while on your pilgramage!  Oh wow…”  
  
“Tali’zorah vas Normandy, now,” she murmured, “but yes.”  
  
“Oh wait til I send a message back home that I met you and Shepard!”  
  
“And, as always, the pilot doesn’t even get an honorable mention,” Joker laughed.  
  
“I… oh… I’m sorry!” the other quarian said, the shyness creeping back into her voice.  “But thank you for helping me up.”  
  
“I was joking.  It’s all right,” he smiled at her.  “So where are you headed?  We promised we’d keep you safe in case that idiot showed back up.”  
  
“I’m… I’m not sure yet.  I took a shuttle here to pick up food and provisions for my pilgrimage and hoped an idea would come to me on how to get where I want to go.”  
  
“Where do you want to go?” Kara asked.  
  
“The human biotic school.  I’m… different.  I have biotic abilities and thought maybe I could learn something there to help me and maybe help them too?” Sol’Tyra replied, wringing her hands.  
  
Joker and Kara looked at each other, then over at the quarian, nodding in an unspoken agreement.  
  
“Follow us.  We’ll get you there.  We’re already friends with one of the heads of the school,” Kara said, grabbing up some of Sol’s bags, with Tali picking up the rest.  It wasn’t until they had taken a few steps that the group realized that Sol was still behind them, standing stock still.  
  
“Well c’mon!  I promise you we’re friendly… most of the time!”  Joker laughed, his wife giving him a loving little poke in the ribs.  Finally getting over her shock, Sol ran to catch up to the group, excited about getting to see the inside of the technical and engineering marvel that was the Normandy.


	18. A Geth to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard and crew retrieve the Reaper IFF and end up with an unusual discovery.

Just walking through the dead reaper sent chills down her spine.  She’d rather be killing them than walking through their innards.  The fact that it could still indoctrinate people, just by its existence, was frightening.    
  
“Am I hearing things correctly?  This thing is dead and it’s still able to crawl into people’s minds and indoctrinate them?” Joker asked through their comm. link.  
  
“Yup,” Kara sighed.  “We knew they were powerful after dealing with Sovereign, but I never dreamed…”  
  
“The council and everybody else better start fucking listening to us or we’re in a shit-storm of trouble when they do actually arrive,” her husband bit out.  
  
“You’re preaching to the choir, love.”  
  
“Just try to get out as fast as you can.  Watching all those husks barreling at you is really freaking me the fuck out.”  
  
“Well, if the location EDI sent to my nav computer is correct, we’re not too much further from the IFF,” Kara tried to soothe.  
  
“Thank the gods.  And be careful of whatever was sniping the shit outta the husks.  Hopefully it’s friendly,” Joker pleaded.  
  
“You’re not the only one hoping it’s on our side.  Husks, abominations, and scions are bad enough that I don’t need any other beasties after me,” she shivered again.  
  
“Turning vid feed off while you’re down there.  Keeping audio live, though, in case you need me.  I just don’t want to see any more than I have to.”  
  
“No worries, love.  Shepard, out.”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
“We’ve got incoming!” Jack yelled, jumping down from the perch she had scrambled up to help them get a better layout of the area.  Thane and Kara melted into the shadows on either side of the stairs and took up their sniper positions, while Jack stood at the top, in plain view, and readied a shockwave.  Letting it fly when enough husks had converged at the bottom of the steps, Thane pulled on his own biotics and tossed what few remained while Kara began whittling down the scion that was lumbering around the corner.  
  
“I hate these things,” she muttered, taking her time with each shot and making it count.  Breathe in.  Aim.  Breathe out.  Fire.  
  
“What do you think they’re made of?”  Jack asked, finding a corner to hide behind while she tossed a few Warps its way.  
  
“I really don’t want to know.  Not after the way I saw bodies mashed together on the Collector ship,” Kara answered.  Breathe in.  Aim.  Breathe out.  Fire.  
  
“Your skill rivals my own, Shepard,” Thane whispered across the way after taking his own shot.   
  
“I have you to thank for taking me under your wing and teaching me your skills,” she smiled, focusing through the scope of the Widow.  Breathe in.  Aim.  Breathe out.  Fire.  “Another scion is coming up from behind with a few more husks.  Jack, you take the husks.  Thane, you finish this scion while I get the other one’s attention.  My map says the IFF is on the other side of the far door.”  
  
“Got it, Shep,” Jack grinned, leaping over crates to get a better vantage point for the reaperized humans.  
  
“As you wish, Siha,” Thane replied.  
  
“One of these days you need to tell me what that means,” Kara laughed, sighting down the second scion.  Breathe in.  Aim.  Breathe out.  Fire.  
  
“Siha is one of the warrior-angels of the goddess Arashu.  Fierce in wrath.  A tenacious protector,” he replied, his lips curving into a smile, and last shot taking down the first scion.  “Those you fight to protect are lucky, indeed, to have you on their side, as I am lucky to have you as a friend, as family, perhaps.”  
  
Kara’s cheeks pinked with warmth and a genuine smile curved her mouth, a bit out of place considering where they were.  
  
“No ‘perhaps’ about it, Thane.  You’re one of the few who doesn’t look sideways at me for following a polytheistic religion.  You watch out for me when we’re in deep shit and you’ve taught me how to sharpen what skills I already have to better equip me in this fight.  You’re like a father to me,” Kara said, cloaking herself and moving the moment the scion targeted her location.  Finding a new perch, she sighted it down.  Breathe in.  Aim.  Breathe out.  Fire.  
  
“I’m honored you see me as such, Shepard,” Thane’s hushed voice sounded a bit choked up.  
  
“Oh would you two quit with the mushy blood bonding shit?  We’re trying to kill this thing quickly so we can get out of this freaky reaper shell, not talk it to death,” Jack sighed.  
  
Kara laughed, her last shot downing the scion.  “One of these days you’ll come across someone who’ll feel like family to you and you’d kill to protect, mark my words.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll believe that only if you end up popping out a volus instead of twins,” Jack cackled as they hit the room where the IFF was stored.  
  
“Hey, I’m getting round, sure, but I’m not _that_ round!”  Kara huffed.  
  
“You’re perfect, is what you are,” Joker crooned to her, earning a gag from the psychotic biotic.  Kara snickered and rolled her eyes, pocketing the IFF in the process.  
  
“Get a room, you two.”  
  
Thane smirked at Jack.  “A bit difficult for them, don’t you think, seeing where we are at the moment?”  
  
“Shut up, lizard man,” the tattooed woman pouted.  
  
“Now now…” Kara began, stopping as she looked into the room beyond.  
  
“Whoah, isn’t that the geth that we ran into earlier?” Jack asked.  The three of them stared at the back of the AI, blocked from entering the room from some sort of barrier that covered the doorway.  Kara snarled as husks began to converge on the one geth that seemed friendly, feeling helpless as she was unable to do anything.  
  
“Shepard-Commander, we require your assistance,” it seemed to plead as the barrier suddenly dropped at the same time the husks overwhelmed it, dragging it to the ground.  
  
“Sonuvabitch,” Kara growled, pulling out the M-90 Cain that was strapped to her back and aiming it at the core.  “The moment this thing goes off, if you two could grab the geth so we can haul jets outta here?  I wanna take it on board the Normandy and see what the fuck’s up with it.”  
  
“Quit talking and start fucking shooting, already, Shepard!” Jack shouted, tossing shockwave after shockwave at the husks that blocked hers and Thane’s path to the geth.  “We’ll take care of the hunk of metal for you!”  
  
With that, her smile feral, Kara charged up and let the Cain do its work, obliterating the core in one shot.  
  
“Better get your ass in gear, Kara!  That thing’s starting to go down and no way in hell are you going with it!  I’m sitting at the exit just around the corner from you,” Joker ordered his wife.  The group sprinted toward the location marked on her nav computer, the lack of gravity assisting them as they leaped from the falling reaper into the airlock closest to the cockpit after tossing the geth through it first.  Kara didn’t breathe easy until it shut behind them and the Normandy took off.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
“Perching on this thing is getting harder and harder as days and weeks pass,” Kara grumbled, trying to find a good position on the console near Joker’s chair.  
  
“Yeah, well, you look adorable trying to find just the right spot,” he grinned.  
  
“Shush, you,” she laughed.  
  
“So, what are you going to do with the hunk of sheet metal down in the AI Core?”  
  
“I want to activate it and talk to it,” she answered, holding a hand up to stop Joker from replying the moment he opened his mouth.  “Hold up a second, before we possibly get into an argument like we did over Grunt.  First off, I’m going to take Garrus in there with me.  If something happens, he can fry the damned thing.  Secondly, I trust both you and EDI to put up some sort of a barrier, either around it or around her processing core, to keep the ship and our AI safe.”  
  
“We’re all just fucking insane, aren’t we?  We must be for thinking about activating a geth,” he grumbled.  
  
“Joker, I just want to know why it was so… well… friendly, I guess you could say, and why the hell it’s wearing a piece of my armor.  And, to add to your insane theory, if it can somehow help us against the Collectors, I’m not going to turn it away.”  
  
“You’re lucky I love you,” he sighed, taking her hand and lacing his fingers with hers.  “But thanks for talking to me about it first.  I _will_ be keeping watch, though.  It better not harm one hair on your head or Garrus will be tossing it out the nearest airlock.”  
  
“Garrus is going to do what, now?” their turian friend asked as he entered the cockpit.  
  
“Toss the geth out of the airlock if it tries to attack me,” Kara answered.  “You’re coming with me while I activate it and see why it was acting different than other geth I’ve come across.  Figured your Overload could come in handy if it tries anything.”  
  
“Happy to help, Shepard,” Garrus patted her on the shoulder.  
  
“Thanks, Gar.”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
“Is it just me or do I think Joker might have some competition for your affection?” Garrus chuckled as the two of them exited the AI core after speaking with Legion.  “The way it acted when you asked it a second time why it was wearing your armor, the ‘no data available’ response… I think it has a crush on you, Shepard.”  
  
“Gah, just what I need - a walking vibrator,” Kara smirked.  
  
“That was not something I needed to hear!  Between learning that you watch porn with your husband and get it on in the pilot’s chair, I know way more about your sex life than I ever wanted to know!”  
  
“This from the one who enjoyed doing what he could to cover me with white, sticky goo while we were on Haestrom,” she snickered.  
  
“Not my fault that’s what geth guts look like,” Garrus grumbled.  “But you have to admit, it kept you laughing and your mind off the fact that you thought you were dealing with radiation poisoning while down there.”  
  
“True, and for that I’ll forever be thankful,” Kara smiled up at her turian friend, resting her head against his arm for a long moment.  “Without you, Joker, and Tali, the way you guys stuck with me from pretty much the beginning… I honestly don’t think I’d have made it this far.  Coming back from death, learning I’d been gone for two years and then being stuck as a Cerberus pawn… that messes with the mind.  You guys have kept me going.”  
  
“You made us yours and, in turn, we made you ours.  We’re a family, Shepard, and call me crazy, but I kind of wish Wrex was along for the ride, too.”  
  
“I never thought I’d see the day where a turian and a krogan became like brothers,” she laughed, straightening up and patting Garrus’s back.  
  
“Now we just need to do that on a wider scale if we’re to win the war we know is coming our way,” he sighed.  
  
“Yeah… but having Wrex as a clan leader will make the transition a hell of a lot easier than working with a krogan I’ve never dealt with before.  Listening to him talk when we were on Tuchanka, if he’s able to stay in power, he has a real chance of turning his people around and changing a lot of other’s minds about the krogan.”  
  
“After the way you almost had to take him down on Virmire, who’d have ever thought he’d be an actual stabilizing influence?” Joker added in, when Kara and Garrus finally made their way up to the cockpit.  
  
“Weirder things have happened,” Kara grinned.  
  
“Yeah, like having a friendly geth in the AI core who has a crush on my wife?”  
  
“And learning that we’ve been fighting rogue geth?”  Garrus piped in.  
  
“Being considered as kind of a hero to them for taking down the heretics and Sovereign feels weird, though,” Kara stated.  
  
“I really don’t see the difference between regular geth and these heretics, to be honest,” Joker stated.  “Then again, I wasn’t really paying close attention to the conversation,  only to its body language and how you two were reacting.”  
  
“Basically there’s a minor difference in their software that has the heretics thinking that the Reapers are gods and should be followed, while the regular geth have no real problems with us sentient beings and prefer to stick to themselves without Reaper influence,” his wife replied.  
  
“Huh, interesting.”  
  
“Shepard-Commander,” the geth in question interrupted the group, approaching the three.    
  
“Holy shit!” Joker exclaimed, nearly jumping out of his chair at Legion’s voice.  “That thing needs a fucking bell around its neck or something to warn us it’s nearby.”  
  
Snickering softly, Kara patted her husband’s shoulder, turning her head to look over at the geth.  
  
“What is it, Legion?”  
  
“We have completed our analysis of the Reaper’s data core.”  
  
“All right.  Is this something that requires immediate attention that couldn’t wait for me to return to the AI Core?”  
  
“We believe so.  We were sent to the Old Machine to preserve the geth’s future.  The heretics have developed a weapon to use against geth.  You would call it a ‘virus’.  It is stored on a data core provided by Sovereign.  Over time, the data would change us, make us conclude that worshipping the Old Machines is correct.”  
  
“Figures.  We kill that Reaper dead and it still comes back to haunt us,” Kara muttered, interrupting Legion’s explanation.  “If released, how quick would this virus affect the non-heretics?”  
  
“We are networked via FTL comm. buoys.  Most would change within a day.  Isolated platforms would remain unaffected until they rejoined the network.”  
  
“Well damn.  I don’t know about either of you, but it felt like we fought a fuck-ton of geth when we were chasing after Saren and I don’t really want to go through that again once we’re done taking on the Collectors.  Those heretics and Sovereign were bad enough.  Having all geth with this virus and however many Reapers are on their way, together, would be almost impossible to deal with.  What do you suggest we do, Legion?”  
  
“We will provide coordinates to the heretic’s station at the edge of the Terminus.  The Normandy’s stealth systems will be required to safely approach,” Legion answered.  
  
“You do know it’s only our heat emissions that are hidden, right?  The moment they looked out a window they’d see us,” Joker muttered.  
  
“Windows are structural weaknesses.  Geth do not use them.”  
  
Joker rolled his eyes as he turned back to the ship’s controls, mimicking the actions of an old-school robot.  Kara nudged her husband, though the corners of her lips twitched with repressed laughter.  
  
“Coordinates uploaded into the ship’s navigational computer.  It is suggested we leave now to negate anything the heretics might have already uploaded into the network.”  
  
“You know I’m going with you onto that geth ship, Shepard,” Garrus said, eyes boring into his friend’s.  
  
“As if I’d leave you behind.  You like to make pretty patterns on my armor with their innards, remember?” Kara snickered.  “Seriously, though, I don’t know Legion well enough to take someone I don’t implicitly trust along with me, and your skill set is perfect for this place.”  
  
“We’ve got a few hours before we reach our destination so why don’t you go rest up and I’ll call you when we’re there?” Joker reached over to squeeze Kara’s hand.  
  
“Good idea.  I’ll check over my armor and weapons, make sure they’re clean and ready to go, then take a nap.  I suggest you do the same, Garrus, minus the nap,” Kara replied, returning the squeeze then heading back toward the elevator.  
  
“We will return to the AI Core until Shepard-Commander is ready,” Legion intoned, following the group.  
  
Joker sighed, long and loud, as his fingers flew over the console, steering them toward the closest Mass Relay.  
  
“We’re all insane.  We’ve got a live geth on board and we’re heading to a geth heretic station in the middle of nowhere so my wife can blow them to bitsies to keep them from infecting the rest of the geth.  Yup, we’re all fucking insane.”


	19. The Collectors Try Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Collectors succeeded once in crippling the Normandy. Will they do so again?

“Y’know, after not warning you about the EMP blast that you had to escape just by rewriting the damned geth, having Legion around is like begging for a rifle up your ass… without the sweet talk,” Joker grumbled as they sped away from the heretic station, Kara leaning up against her usual perch.  
   
Kara couldn’t help the snort of laughter that escaped her.  “That’s… quite an image, and not necessarily one I wanted to have.”  
  
“Yeah, well, I don’t trust that heap of scrap metal.”  
  
“This might surprise you, but I actually do.  It hasn’t done anything yet to prove that its purpose is different than what we’ve already been told, nor has it shown aggression toward any one of us.  Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to head up to the loft and shower.  I don’t know if it’s hormones or the additions made to my armor because of the twins, but damn if I’m not baking in this thing.”  
  
“Go and clean yourself up then, love.  You know where to find me when you’re finished,” he smiled, leaning up for the kiss she offered.  
  
“While I’m there, why don’t you set a course for Omega.  I think we’re pretty close to being ready to hit the Omega 4 Relay and I just want to check the markets one more time to see if anything new has popped up that we can use to augment our weapons or armor.  I hate to say it but that place seems to have a better selection than the Citadel.”  
  
“Probably because that place is home to merc groups and pirates,” Joker replied.  
  
“Shepard, I would suggest that you and the others take a shuttle to the station once we pass through the relay.  The IFF is nearly installed and maneuvers should be run prior to the Omega 4 to make sure it has integrated properly into the Normandy’s systems,” EDI stated.  
  
“Understood, EDI.”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Joker watched through the ship’s cameras as Kara and the others boarded the shuttle, her sandwiched in between Legion and a very tense Tali after she had broken up an argument between the two of them.  The moment the cargo bay door shut behind them, his fingers flew over the control panel, plotting their next destination.  
  
“Are you sure this is wise, Mr. Moreau?  While we are staying within the Omega nebula, if something were to happen to the ship, we may not be able to make it back to the station,” EDI stated.  
  
“We’ll be fine.  Besides, if this all goes as planned, not only will we have everything  running smoothly with the IFF but Kara will have a huge surprise when she gets back, which might translate into a _very_ nice thank you from her,” he grinned.  
  
Thoughts of a wonderful night with his wife aside, the very idea of where he was taking the Normandy actually sent a chill up his spine.  It was worth it, though, because he knew how happy it would make his wife, and with what they were about to pit themselves up against, he’d do anything to keep a smile on her face.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
“Ken, Gabby, how does it look?” Joker asked the pair as they crawled around and through the Mako while he kept the Normandy at a high enough altitude so he wouldn’t have to see, again, the debris of the original.  
  
“All systems are a go,” Gabby replied.  “Virtually no damage at all to the engines and no cracks or other issues to the frame supports that might cause any issues.  I’d say she’s flight worthy.”  
  
“This thing’s purrin’ like a happy jungle cat,” Ken added.  “Thrusters are workin’ beautifully.”  
  
“All right.  Approaching the drop point and opening the bay doors.  Just do me a favor and make sure you give the Kodiak plenty of room to land when Kara returns.  I want it to be a nice surprise, not turn the cargo bay into a death trap,” Joker chuckled.  
  
“That’s why I’ve got the wheel,” Gabby replied.  “Kenneth would probably try to see what he could climb over in this thing.”  
  
“If he’s curious, he can either ask my wife or take a look at some of the vids I took when she and the others were out scouting planets in the Beast.  With half the shit she put that thing through, I’m honestly not surprised it survived the attack.”  
  
“Pulling into the bay, now, Joker.  We’ll get it secure then head back into Engineering.”  
  
“Thanks a ton, you guys.  I’ll be sure to let her know who helped me get the Beast back on board.”  
  
Joker smiled and leaned back into his chair, flexing his hands and cracking his knuckles before laying his fingers back onto the controls and flying them out of Alchera’s gravitational pull.  
  
“Mr. Moreau, there is something hidden within the static the IFF is giving off,” EDI stated while Joker input the commands that would steer them back to Omega.  
  
“I’m telling you EDI, your readings are off.  It’s radiation bleed, just white noise.”  
  
“I have detected a signal embedded in the static.  We are transmitting the Normandy’s location.”  
  
“Transmitting?  To who?” Joker asked, though the question was answered immediately after the words left his lips.  Green eyes widening, he stared at the Collector vessel that had appeared right above them.  
  
“Oh shit!” he exclaimed, his fingers working at almost light speed to try and push the ship into FTL travel and away from their current location.  “Getting us out of here!”  
  
“The propulsion systems are disabled.  I am detecting a virus in the ship’s computers,” EDI remarked when nothing happened.  
  
“Guys, grab your weapons!  Looks like we have hostiles incoming!” Joker yelled out, hoping that the ship-wide communications channel still functioned properly.  “Is this from the IFF?  Damnit, why didn’t you scrub it,” he hissed, trying to override the virus and get the ship to answer to his commands.  
  
“Primary defense systems are offline.  We can save the Normandy, Mr. Moreau, but you must help me,” EDI continued, not answering Joker’s prior comment.  “Give me the ship.”  
  
“ _What?!_  You’re crazy!  I swear, if you start singing Daisy Bell, I’m done.”  
  
“Unlock my sealed databases and I can initiate countermeasures.”  
  
“Shit.”  
  
“The maintenance shaft in the science lab will allow passage to the AI Core.”  
  
“I know where it leads, EDI,” he snarled, getting up from his chair and hobbling out of the cockpit, into the main CIC, and toward Mordin’s lab.  
  
“The main corridors are no longer safe.  The Collectors have boarded.”  
  
“Shit,” he sighed again, doing what he could to pick up the pace.  “Shit, shit, shit.”  
  
“Hurry, Joker, we’ll hold them off as long as we can!” one of the CIC techs yelled out to him.  Glancing over toward the elevator, he cringed at the sight of the Praetorian that entered.  They were a bitch for even his wife to take down.  When he heard the scream behind him, knowing the man had given his life to keep him safe, Joker wished he’d taken a bit more time to get to know the others who served with him and Kara.  
  
Kara… how would she cope if the Normandy didn’t survive this?  If _he_ didn’t survive this?  He didn’t want to die before laying his eyes on their two precious miracles.  Dropping down into Life Support, he snuck out into the hallway once he was assured that Hawthorne had grabbed the Collector’s attention.  Running into the Med Bay as fast as he could, he sealed the door between it and the AI Core for his protection.  
  
“Main fusion plant offline.  Activating emergency H fuel cells,” EDI stated, doing what she could to keep him updated on the ship’s systems.  
  
“All right I’m at… uhh… you,” Joker said as he stared at the control panel in front of him.  
  
“Connect the core to the Normandy’s primary control module.”  
  
“Great.  See, this is how it all starts.  When we’re all just organic batteries, guess who they’ll blame?  ‘This is all Joker’s fault.  What a tool he was.  I have to spend all day computing pi because he plugged in the Overlord’,” he muttered, wondering what his wife would think of what he was about to do while he set about following the AI’s commands.  
  
“You’d better hope Kara doesn’t have a problem with the Normandy having an unshackled AI because I’m not about to find out what death by airlock is like, not by her hands at least.”  
  
“I am sure she will understand the logical reasoning behind your actions as it will keep you and the ship out of Collector control,” EDI began, the lights in the room blacking out then powering back on as Joker finished up at the console.  “I have access to the defensive systems.  Thank you, Mr. Moreau.  Now you must reactivate the primary drive in Engineering.”  
  
“Ugh, you want me to go crawling through the ducts again?  Damnit…”  
  
“I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees.”  
  
“Say what?”  Joker stood stock still, staring at the silver holo globe in front of him.  
  
“That was a joke.”  
  
“It had fucking better be or I’m in more trouble than I thought, and not just from my wife,” he grumbled, positioning himself on the ladder that would lead him through the series of ductwork and into Jack’s hidey hole beneath the Engineering room.  
  
As he crept around below, navigating around Jack’s personal belongings and toward the stairs, the shadows that presented themselves onto the wall across from him stopped him cold.  He wasn’t alone in Engineering, and if what he saw… those were pods being carried out, which meant he didn’t get down here in time to save Ken and Gabby.  They were so excited at the thought of doing something for their commander and now they were in the hands of the Collectors.  
  
“Damnit!” he hissed.  
  
“Engineering is clear of hostiles.  Proceed immediately to minimize chances of detection!”  
  
“I’m moving as fast as I can, EDI!  Unlike you I can’t be in every room of the ship at once!” Joker barked out, racing as quick as his legs would take him to the  console Tali preferred to work from.  
  
“Activate the drive and I will open the airlocks as we accelerate.  All hostiles will be killed.”  
  
“What about the rest of the crew?” Joker asked, his fingers fumbling momentarily at the AI’s suggestion.  
  
“They are gone, Jeff.  The Collectors took them.”  
  
“Ahh shit,” he sighed as he headed toward the console in front of the drive core.  
  
“I am sealing the engine room.”  
  
The core lit up as Joker input the last of the commands causing him to cover his eyes from the light output that brightened the room.  
  
“I have control,” EDI stated, powering up the FTL drives and navigating the Normandy away from the Collector ship.  The momentum knocked Joker backward, flinging him onto his back against the metal walkway beneath him.  Pain exploded through his body as he felt numerous bones fracture and tears  leaked from the corners of his eyes - not just from the pain of his injuries but because of the lives taken by those whom his wife had been resurrected to destroy.  
  
“Purge is complete.  No other life forms on board.  Securing airlocks and cargo bay doors.”  
  
Struggling to get up, he leaned heavily against the rail, head hanging low.  
  
“Send a message to Kara.  Tell her what happened.”  
  
“We should be docking at Omega within the hour.  Are you feeling well, Jeff?”  
  
“No, but thanks for asking,” he sniffled, wiping his eyes.  Not wanting his wife’s squad to crowd around his seat, and knowing they wouldn’t fit anyway, Joker took the elevator to the CIC and paced around inside the conference room.  It hurt like hell to move, but after what happened he couldn’t keep still.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
“Commander Shepard,” EDI’s voice filled the comm.  
  
“Hey, EDI.  Got everything squared away with the IFF?”  
  
“The Normandy will be docking on Omega within the hour.  There has been a… complication.”  
  
Kara’s blood ran cold.  There was something within the AI’s voice inflection that had warning bells going off in her head.  
  
“What kind of complication?” she asked, half afraid of the answer.  
  
“The IFF was transmitting the ship’s location.  While we were making last minute adjustments to the ship’s systems for full integration, we were ambushed by the Collectors.  The crew was taken.”  
  
“Damnit!” her hand fisted and she slammed it into the nearest wall, oblivious to the bits of skin and blood she left behind.  Joker… oh gods, her husband.  Did they get him too?  Her body began to tremble as panic set in.  “And… and Joker?”   
  
“He is the only one left on the ship.  If it were not for him removing my constraints, the Normandy would still be under Collector control and he would have been taken as well.”  
  
“Oh gods… radio me when you’re close to the docks and we’ll shuttle over,” Kara choked out.  Turning around, she saw that the others had heard the message as well.  
  
“Shepard… Kara…” Tali approached the commander, hugging her gently as Kara clung to her and buried her face into her friend’s shoulder.    
  
“I almost lost him again,” she whispered, her tears creating damp spots on Tali’s hood.  
  
“He’s alive.  We’re alive.  We’ll get them back, Shepard,” the quarian rubbed Kara’s back.  “We’ll get the crew back.”  
  
“You’re right.  We will,” Kara said, straightening and wiping her cheeks.  “And we’ll kick the Collectors’ asses bloody in the process.”  
  
“Damn straight,” Garrus agreed, stepping up to give his friend a hug.  “And after pulling this stunt, they’d better be afraid… very afraid.”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
She knew time was of the essence and that her husband waited for her up in the briefing room, but Kara couldn’t help but stop and stare at the newest addition to the cargo bay.  It brought about a fresh round of tears as she ran up and patted her hands over the “Beast”, her Mako.  
  
“Spirits, it doesn’t look as if the crash harmed it at all,” Garrus stared at it in awe.  
  
“After what Shepard put us through in that thing, are you so surprised?” Tali asked.  
  
“Gods, you two,” Kara laughed, sniffling back the last of her tears.  “Damned hormones.”  
  
“Shepard, we need to head up to the CIC and get a debrief from Joker,” Miranda stated, tapping one booted foot impatiently.  
  
“I know, but I wanted to admire the thoughtful present he got for me for at least a moment,” she sighed, walking away from the vehicle and into the elevator.  The lack of chatter when the doors opened onto the CIC floor slammed into her, and it was all she could do to keep herself from running like a lunatic to the conference room.  Trying to keep a leash on her emotions, she followed the rest of the crew as they spilled into the room and around the table, though she lost it again the moment Joker approached and wrapped his arms around her.  
  
“Oh gods, Joker, when EDI said the Collectors had taken the entire crew…” she began, choking up and unable to finish her sentence as she pulled him closer, though her hands gentled at his gasp of pain.  
  
“I was so scared I would never see you again,” he whispered against her neck, inhaling deeply of her scent even though it sent shafts of needles through his ribs.  
  
“Are you okay?”  
  
“I think I broke a rib when EDI pulled away from the ship.  Hell, maybe all of them,” he groaned.  
  
“Everyone?  You lost everyone and damn near lost the ship too?” Miranda cut in, interrupting their reunion.  
  
“I know, all right?  I was here,” Joker  bit out, pulling away to glare at the brunette.  
  
“It’s not his fault, Miranda,” Jacob added in.  “None of us caught it.”  
  
“Mr. Taylor is correct.  The harmful data in the Collector drive was even more sophisticated than the black box Reaper virus I was given,” EDI stated.  
  
“How’re you holding up, love?” Kara used her fingertips to gently turn his face back towards hers.  
  
“There’s a lot of empty chairs in here…”  
  
“We did everything we could, Jeff.”  
  
“Yeah, thanks mom.”  
  
“And what about the virus?” Kara asked, directing her question towards the holo-globe in the center of the table.  
  
“EDI and I purged the systems.  The Reaper IFF is online.  We can go through the Omega 4 Relay whenever you want,” Joker answered before the AI could.  
  
“Don’t even get me started about unshackling a damned AI,” Miranda snapped at him.  
  
“Well what am I supposed to do against Collectors, break my arm at them?  EDI cleared the ship.  She’s all right.”  
  
“I assure you, I am still bound by the protocols in my programming.  Even if I were not, you are my crewmates.”  
  
“Miranda, lay the fuck off.  If Joker hadn’t done what he did…” Kara stopped and closed her eyes, breathing deep.  Joker reached out and began massaging her temples as she reached around him to grip the table’s edge tightly in her hands.  “EDI, you have my eternal gratitude for saving Joker and the Normandy.  If he trusts you, so do I.”  
  
“I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to take the fight to the Collectors,” Garrus said as he looked around the room.  
  
“We’ve taken care of everything we need to and upgraded what we could.  I say we’re golden,” Jacob agreed.  
  
“Just please give me a few moments alone in here with Joker, then we can suit up and be on our way.”  
  
As the room cleared, Joker pulled Kara close again and she rested her cheek against his shoulder, this time being much more careful of any possible injuries he might have sustained.  
  
“How are you, really?” she asked.  
  
“I’m sore, but I’ve dealt with worse.  But… shit… not knowing if I was going to survive this attack, I started worrying about how it would affect you and the twins.  You’re already under so much stress, and after some conversations I’ve had with Chakwas, she’s told me she’s surprised you haven’t miscarried or gone into premature labor.  And I didn’t want to die before getting to see our girls.”  
  
Joker leaned back just enough to allow him to rub his cheek against hers, feeling himself start to relax and his system even out as he held her.  
  
“We don’t know what’s going to happen on the other side of the Omega  4.  If the gods are with us, we’ll pull through and make it back but… I swear, we are never going anywhere near Alchera ever again.  That place is fucking cursed for us.”  
  
Joker’s lips twitched and he looked down into his wife’s sparkling eyes.  
  
“Does that mean you saw…?”  
  
“That the Beast is parked next to the Kodiak?  That’s kind of hard to miss.  To know that you braved a place that has plagued you with nightmares just to pick up the Mako for me?  Gods, you’re incredible, you know that?”  
  
“When we get the rest of the crew back, you might want to thank Ken and Gabby, too.  They were the ones who went down to the surface and actually got it on the ship.”  
  
“Most definitely,” she smiled, leaning up to brush her lips against his.  “I’m going to get suited up, but are you sure you’re feeling well enough to fly?”  
  
“Damn straight.”  
  
“Then set a course for the Omega 4, love.  The Collectors are about to find out what happens when you piss me off.  We’ve got our crew to save.”


	20. This Is What Happens When You Piss Me Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Collectors are about to learn what happens when you fail at permanently removing Shepard from the equation the first time.

Suiting up, Kara had to keep a towel nearby as she felt the need to continuously wipe her damp palms.  This was it.  The do or die mission.  If they couldn’t clear the relay, or didn’t succeed on the other side… No, she couldn’t let herself think in the ways of ‘what ifs’.  If she let herself go down that road it would kill the confidence she’d need to see them through to the end.  
  
Strapping on her weapons, she picked up her helmet and made her way to the cockpit.  As the orange glow of the Omega 4 Relay got brighter the closer they approached, the more her stomach seemed to want to lodge in her throat.  
  
“Hey,” Joker said, his voice taking on a soft, almost calming quality as if he knew she was nothing but nerves.  
  
“Hey,” Kara returned, leaning against his chair instead of taking up her normal perch.  
  
“You’ll do great, love.  You always do.  I just… are the upgrades to your armor enough?”  Her husband worried his bottom lip between his teeth as he looked up at her.  
  
“Don’t ask me to repeat what Mordin said.  You know how fast he talks, and with all of the scientific mumbo-jumbo and medical terminology, I didn’t understand most of what he did to my suit.  I think he said he strengthened the current adjustments even more so there’s more armor and barrier support, especially to my midsection, and added something like anti-gravitational boosters to my belt?  I could have the words wrong but basically if I have to jump long distances, I just need to push a button on my ammo belt and it’ll be like I weigh nothing and correct the imbalance the twins have put on my body.”  
  
“Well, after that last jump you had to make out of the dead Reaper, I’m really glad he added that in there.  My heart about stopped even though I got the Normandy as close to that thing as I could.”  
  
“I swear, the two of you are finding ways to call me fat without coming right out and saying it,” Kara grumbled.  
  
“You’re not fat, babe, just pleasantly round where the girls are.  You have to admit, though, that you are really getting into the waddle stage so the boosters will really help,” Joker grinned up at his wife.  
  
“I swear, if there wasn’t a chance you were already fractured, I’d smack you for that.”  
  
“I know, and I’m going to take every chance I can to poke at you during my broken time because I _can_ get away with it right now.”  
  
“Figures.  We’re about to head through the Omega 4 and take on this suicide mission and now you decide to poke at me instead of love me,” she pouted, though her eyes danced with laughter.  
  
“Because, even with what everyone’s calling it, we know damned well we’re going to pull through this because you’re the one running the show,” he reminded her, reaching up to pat her gloved hand.  
  
“I needed that more than you could ever know.  Thanks, Jeff.”  
  
“Anything to keep you going, Kara,” he replied, smiling at her, before turning back to the console.  With a couple of keystrokes, he opened up the ship wide comm.  “Approaching the Omega 4 Relay.  Everyone stand by.”  
  
“Here goes nothing,” Kara murmured, her hand tightening on the back of her husband’s chair as the relay loomed in front of them.  
  
“Reaper IFF activated,” EDI announced.  “Signal acknowledged.”  
  
“Commander, the drive core just lit up like a Christmas tree,” Jacob’s voice filtered into the cabin.  
  
“Drive core electrical charge at critical levels!” the AI warned.  
  
“Rerouting!” Joker called out.  
  
Kara could feel herself coming close to hyperventilating.  This was it - do or die.  None of them knew what might be waiting for them on the other side of the relay.  
  
“I’d rather be heading back to Ilos,” she muttered.  “At least I had an idea of what to expect there.”  
  
“Breathe, love.  Just remember who’s behind the controls of this girl.”  
  
“Yeah, the one who made an impossible drop, possible,” Kara replied.  The thought calmed her somewhat, but not enough to keep her from closing her eyes tight as Joker sent the Normandy through the Omega 4.  
  
“Brace for deceleration,” EDI commanded.  Kara opened her eyes, her one hand still gripping the back of Joker’s chair to the point she was sure her knuckles were white, the other hand reaching out to grab his armrest.  
  
“Oh shit!” Joker’s hands flew over the controls, the Normandy dancing around the debris field and dodging the remains of numerous ships that had tried, and failed, to get through the relay in one piece.  Pulling the frigate above the wreckage, both commander and pilot held their breaths until the ship was out of harm’s way.  
  
“Phew,” her husband collapsed back against his chair.  “That was too close.”  
  
“If it had been anyone other than you flying the ship, we’d have never made it through that,” Kara murmured, flipping off Joker’s cap long enough to plant a kiss on the crown of his head.  
  
“Even with _my_ skills, we almost didn’t,” he sighed.  “Those must have been all the ships that tried to make it through the Omega 4 Relay.  Some look… ancient.”  
  
“Yeah, you’re right.  At least we’re not among them.”  
  
“I have detected an energy signature at the edge of the accretion disk,” EDI interrupted, bringing the two of them back into focus on the reason they were there.  
  
“I’m guessing that’s gotta be the Collector Base.  Let’s take a closer look.  I want to see what we’re dealing with,” Kara said, moving a bit closer to the console so she could get a better view out the windows.  
  
“Careful, Jeff, we have company,” the AI announced.  
  
“That… kind of unnerves me when she calls you Jeff,” Kara joked, though her body stiffened into more of a battle ready posture at EDI’s remark.  
  
“That makes two of us,” he agreed, eyes on the sensors and fingers flying over the keypad in front of him.  “Taking evasive maneuvers!”  
  
She couldn’t help but shudder at those words.  The last time he’d said them in her company, the Normandy had been blown to hell, and her along with it.  
  
“This time the bastards won’t win,” Joker growled, as if sensing his wife’s train of thought, his reaction time incredible as they dodged the numerous Oculi gunning for the ship, blasting a few of them to pieces, considering the trauma his body had gone through naught but a few hours before.  “Now they’re just pissing me off!”  
  
Her husband’s reaction did more to center her, to calm her, and Kara couldn’t help the grin that creased her lips.  The Collectors and their toys had no idea the fury they’d unleashed by their actions, and they were about to find out.  
  
“Alert!  Hull breach on the Engineering deck!” EDI announced.  
  
“Gods damnit, it’s in the cargo hold!” Joker snapped.  
  
“I’ll take care of it.  You just do what you do best, love,” Kara patted her husband on the shoulder, shouting out for the rest of her squad to join her.  
  
“Holy shit, that thing’s huge!” Jack cried out the moment they entered the cargo bay.  
  
“Get down!” Kara barked, noticing the Oculus focusing on the biotic.  Using hand signals, she ordered her team to take up positions around the thing.  “Try not to get too near it!  Do what you can to whittle down the armoring and let’s hope the grenade launcher does the trick in taking it out!”  
  
Usually she only took a two of her squad with her during missions, feeling that the whole group would be overkill, but she was pleasantly surprised to see how well everyone worked with each other.  Even Tali and Legion were working in sync with each other.  
  
“Go for it, Shepard!” Grunt yelled, drawing the Oculus’ fire so she could come out of cover safely to fire off the grenade launcher.  Even with the way the ship was bouncing beneath them, Kara was able to take the perfect shot.  
  
“Take cover!” she ordered, everyone ducking down to avoid the explosion that rocketed the area as the Oculus was destroyed.  “EDI, see if you can find a way to seal this place off so we don’t end up with any more of those things trying to keep us company.”  
  
“Understood, Shepard.”  
  
“And yet again, the Mako gets through it unharmed, though it looks as if the Kodiak took some significant damage,” Garrus chuckled as the group made their way back up to the CIC.  
  
“The Beast can handle anything thrown at it, remember?”  Kara chuckled.  
  
“I still don’t get it.  It holds together nicely when we tumble head over tails down mountains, fall backwards into lava pits, but the one time you open a garage door and we’re not doing anything but sitting there, the right wheel well gets bent and needs repair,” Tali laughed.  
  
“I’m still scratching my head over that one,” Garrus grinned.  
  
“Hey, your guess is as good as mine!” Kara shook her head, smirking, as she made her way back up to her husband’s chair.  Looking through the windows, she noticed that they were squeezing their way through the debris field.  “Well that explains why I could barely stand up straight while taking care of our visitor.  Only you would attempt something like this and make it work.  Looks like we’re both good at pulling off the impossible.”  
  
“And that’s why we make the perfect team,” Joker smirked, expertly dodging the few Oculi that were left.  Kara amused herself by watching them explode upon impact against the ship remains that floated around them.  
  
“Take the helm, EDI, and keep it slow.  See if we can avoid any more attention,” Joker ordered, standing up to face his wife.  “Since I don’t know if I’ll have a chance to do this before you hit the base…” he reached out and grabbed Kara to him, uncaring of his injuries, and pressed his lips to hers.  When he felt her mouth open beneath his, he delved in, playing his tongue against her own.    
  
Kara sagged against him, heat infusing her body.  Letting out a shaky breath, she nipped at his lips and pulled back with an obvious reluctance.  Her lips curved into a sultry smile as she looked at Joker, letting her nails drag lightly from his nape down to the front of his neck where it met his uniform.  
  
“Once we get Chakwas back on board, you go see her and get yourself fixed up so we can finish that thought later, alright?”  
  
“I think this is the first time I’ve ever actually looked forward to seeing a doctor,” he grinned, taking his seat again.  
  
“Looks like we’re about to clear the debris field,” she murmured, leaning further forward, their kiss momentarily forgotten.  “My gods, it’s gigantic!”  
  
“And I think they know we’re here.  Looks like they’re sending out an old friend to greet us.”  
  
“Oh goodie!  We can test Garrus’s new toy against them.  They sure as hell won’t be expecting _that_ kind of firepower directed their way,” Kara snickered.  “Fire the main gun!”  
  
Cackling from his seat, Joker input the required commands necessary to lower the Thanix Cannon into place, firing it off once it was locked into position.  “How do you like that, you sons of bitches?!”  
  
“We’ve got some nasty teeth now, you jackasses.  You may have taken my crew, destroyed the  SSV Normandy, and killed me, but all you managed to do was piss me the fuck off.  Biiiiig mistake.  Get in close, love, and finish them off.”  
  
“Everybody hold on!  It’s gonna be a wild ride!” Joker hollered, grinning like a lunatic.  Dodging the incoming particle beam coming from the Collector ship, he pulled them in closer and slammed his fist down on the firing mechanism.  “Give ‘em hell, girl!”  
  
As if in slow motion, Kara watched the heated blue beam stream forth from the Normandy’s main gun toward the ship, hitting it dead center.  Watching it disintegrate as the original Normandy had filled her with a wicked glee.  
  
“Watch out!” Miranda yelled, running up into the cockpit, her voice pulling Kara away from her enjoyment of the ship’s destruction just in time to realize they were directly in concussion range of the Collector ship’s explosion.  
  
“Shit!” she yelled, grabbing onto Joker’s chair to keep from falling as the frigate was bounced around in the wake of the destruction.  
  
“Mass effect field generators are offline!” Joker warned, the bucking of the Normandy tossing him against his wife.  “EDI, give me something!”  
  
“Generators are unresponsive.  All crew brace for impact!” the AI replied.  
  
Without hesitation, Miranda threw up a biotic barrier, bubbling the three of them inside as the ship spun out of control toward the main Collector base.  Looking back, Kara noticed Jack and Samara doing the same thing for the others in the CIC.  Even with the bubble, she braced her feet shoulder width apart and grabbed one of Joker’s armrests while grabbing onto the back of his uniform with her free hand, hoping she didn’t do too much damage to him when they touched down.  
  
When they did collide, it seemed as if the Normandy slid along the base’s exterior for hours before stopping.  Letting go of her husband’s shirt, Kara slumped down against his chair, sitting on her ass, and leaned her head back on one of his legs, her own being too shaky to hold her up.  
  
“You okay, Jeff?”  
  
“Yeah, between your grip on my shirt and Miranda’s bubble, I got through that without any injuries,” he grinned down at her.  
  
“Multiple core systems overloaded during the crash.  Restoring operation will take time,” EDI stated.  
  
“We all knew this was likely a one way trip,” Miranda sighed, sadness tingeing her voice.  
  
“We’ll worry about that later.  I trust EDI and Jeff to take care of things while we’re inside the base.  I’m just curious as to why we haven’t been attacked yet.”  
  
“Either they never expected a full on assault to their base and didn’t install external sensors, or we took them out when we crash landed and they think we died in the attack,” Joker stated.  
  
“Works for me,” Kara grinned.  “Just do me a favor and keep a weapon handy just in case.  I don’t want anything to happen to you or the ship while I’m gone.”  
  
“Will do.  Be careful down there.”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
“How’re you holding up in there, Tali?” Kara asked her friend over the comm., her, Grunt, and Jack making quick work of the Collectors trying to block their path.  
  
“It’s not too bad in here, Shepard.  You’ve been opening the valves quick enough to keep the vent shaft from becoming too warm,” the quarian chuckled.  “I think I’m near the end, actually.”  
  
“Fantastic.  Your team doing all right, Garrus?”  
  
“Nothing we haven’t handled before.  I swear, Horizon was more difficult than this place.”  
  
“You’re forgetting that I had to keep drawing fire away from your scaly ass since you can’t seem to remember to duck,” Kara laughed.  “I’m starting to wonder if you’re trying for a set of scars to match the ones Tarak gave you on Omega.”  
  
“That’s why I’m here, Shepard.  These bastards can’t make me look any worse than I already do so I’m keepin’ ‘em from hitting your turian boyfriend,” Zaeed barked out on a laugh.  
  
“Gods,” she snickered.  
  
“Is there something I need to know, Kara?” Joker’s voice was warm in her ear.  “Do I have to worry about the twins coming out as some weird human-turian hybrid?”  
  
“And get my ass kicked by my favorite quarian for even thinking of looking in Garrus’s direction that way?” she snorted.  
  
“Bosh’tet,” Tali huffed, clearly embarrassed.  “I… you… just wait until I’m out of here!”  
  
“I’ve got some sterilized dextro-friendly chocolate waiting back on the ship that I was going to give you for your birthday, Tali,” Kara crooned, hoping the bribe worked on her friend.  
  
“I’ll let you off the hook this time, Shepard,” Tali laughed, becoming quiet for a moment.  “I see the exit up ahead!”  
  
“Oh thank the gods.  Try to get the doors open as quick as you can!”  
  
“On it!”  
  
Kara took in the room after both teams had rushed through the doors, with Tali locking them behind, her gaze fixating on all the stasis pods that filled the large space.  
  
“Gods, look at them all!” she breathed out, hardly able to believe her eyes.  
  
“And I thought what we saw on the Collector ship was bad.  This room is twice the size of that ship itself,” Garrus stated.  
  
The group was brought out of their musings by the sound of someone screaming and pounding on the windowed pane of one of the pods.  
  
“What the hell?” Kara rushed over to where the sound was coming from, just barely able to hold in the contents of her stomach as she saw the woman liquefy in front of her.  A quick glance showed the Normandy’s crew in the pods nearby.  
  
“Quick!  Get them out of there!” she ordered, grabbing at the covering of the pod closest to her.  Within moments her squad had removed all of her crew from their prisons.  Crouching down beside Dr. Chakwas, she lay a shaky hand on the woman’s shoulder.  
  
“You… you saved us,” the doctor whispered, still trembling herself.  “You kept us from being turned into that grey nutrient paste they keep pumping through the tubes above us.”  
  
“Of course I came to get you.  You guys are mine and I do my best to make sure nobody gets left behind.”  
  
Startled, Kara found herself enveloped in a tight hug by Chakwas, followed by a large group hug by everyone else.  
  
“Stop it,” she sniffled.  “You’re going to make me cry.”  
  
With a bit of laughter, the crew released their hold and let her go, her smile a bit wobbly as she looked at them.  
  
“Hey, Kara, the systems are back online.  I can do a pick up but they’ll have to go back the way you came in,” Joker piped up.  
  
“Mordin, mind going back with them?  I know you’re more into research than medical practice, but you’d be a great help making sure Dr. Chakwas doesn’t get overwhelmed by those who need treatment,” Kara asked, looking at the salarian scientist.  
  
“Be glad to assist,” Mordin nodded.  
  
“Take care of yourself, Shepard,” Chakwas ordered, reaching out to squeeze Kara’s hand.  
  
“You too.  And make sure my husband makes it to the Med Bay.  He took a nasty fall when EDI got the ship away from these bastards.”  
  
“Of course.”  
  
Turning back to the rest of her crew, she pulled Grunt and Jack off to the side, focusing her attention on those who were left.  
  
“I’m going to follow those tubes further in,” she began, pulling up the ship schematic on her omni-tool.  “From what I can see here, they should lead me right to the core where I need to set off the bomb.  I don’t know what I’ll find, but I need the rest of you to stay here and not only cover my ass but make sure everyone else gets out safely.  If for some reason shit goes sideways, while I haven’t always gotten along with all of you, it’s been an honor fighting by your side.  Now let’s go ahead and pay these fuckers back for trying to screw with us!”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
She was glad she had chosen Jack to come along - the seeker swarms in the next area were a bitch and her biotics had kept the three of them safe.  Garrus had kept the rest of the team in place long enough to make sure Mordin and the crew had boarded the ship without incident, then informed her that they were taking a parallel route to try and distract the Collectors from following her trail.  Kara mentally crossed her fingers and prayed that they’d all make it out of this place alive and in one piece.  
  
“Holy shi--“ Jack stared at the massive construct in front of them, shocked enough that she couldn’t even finish the word coming out of her mouth.  
  
“Is that what I think it is?” Grunt asked.  
  
“My gods… _that’s_ why they’ve been abducting humans.  They’re making a human Reaper!” Kara hissed.  “They’re using our liquefied DNA to build this thing!”  
  
“You’re shitting me, right?” Joker asked.  “Please tell me you’re shitting me.”  
  
“Turn on visual and you’ll see what I’m seeing.”  
  
“Oh holy hell!  That thing’s freaky looking!”  
  
“You try standing right in front of it,” she shuddered.  
  
“Uhh, yeah, no thanks!”  
  
“And that’s why you fly the ship and I go ground side to ‘wade through muck and get shot in the face’, remember love?”  
  
“Don’t remind me.  Just get rid of that thing and plant the bomb so I can get you back on the ship and we can haul ass outta here, okay?”  
  
“That’s the plan!”  
  
“I think I figured out how we can drop this thing,” Grunt interrupted.  “Looks like it’s held up by the feeding tubes.  Shoot the shit out of the tubes and that should be it.”  
  
Kara looked up to see what Grunt was suggesting, her eyes easily narrowing in on the weak spots of the tubes.  “Good eyes.  Aim for the glass inserts and we should be good.”  
  
A few well placed shots and the Human-Reaper fell.  
  
“Now if only the other Reapers were so easy to kill,” Kara joked as she placed the bomb inside one of the ship’s power tubes that EDI had located for her.  
  
“Shepard,” the Illusive Man popped up on her omni-tool, bypassing the usual protocols to make sure she wouldn’t ignore his call.  
  
“What do you want?  I’m kind of busy right now.”  
  
“I want you to save the base.  You can set the explosive to target only sentient life, leaving the base itself intact for study.  Think of what we could learn…”  
  
“No,” she interrupted him.  “This place is going up in flames.  Nothing good can come from Collector or Reaper tech.  If you don’t like it, you can fire me,” she growled, cutting TIM off before he could reply.  “Get ready to run guys.  Setting detonator off for a ten minute countdown in 3… 2… 1…”  
  
“Shepard…” Jack semi-stuttered, the ground beneath them starting to tremble.  
  
“Damnit, nothing should be happening yet!”  
  
“That Reaper thing is back… and it’s not alone…”  
  
“Sonuvabitch!” she ducked behind one of the low walls of the platform they were standing on.  “Why couldn’t the fucker have stayed dead like it was supposed to?  You two take care of the Collectors while I focus fire on this thing.”  
  
“You’ve got eight minutes, Kara!” Joker yelled out, alarmed.  
  
“I know!” she yelled back, already charging up the Cain and aiming for one of the Reaper’s ‘eyes.’  “That’s why I’m using the big gun!”  
  
Her shot hit dead center, and she could tell that one more blast would end it permanently.  Luckily she had just enough juice to do just that and she fired it off, letting out a whoop of joy when it fell.  
  
“Shit, it’s taking the platforms with it!” Grunt yelled.  
  
“Haul ass!” Kara ordered, the three of them jumping from platform to platform, barely making it before they crashed behind them.  
  
“Five minutes, Kara!” Joker’s voice became even more panicked.  “EDI’s got a lock on your location.  There should be a path right in front of you that should take you straight to an exit where I’m heading right now.”  
  
“Got it!”  
  
The three of them breathed sighs of relief when they hit solid ground, even though the buzzing that filled the tunnel told them they weren’t alone.  Switching to the Mattock, Kara sprayed the area in front of her with bullets, doing what she could to clear them a path to the ship.  
  
“We’ve got incoming behind us!” Jack barked out.  
  
“I’ll take care of it.  You two run ahead!” Kara ordered, stopping every so often to take down the Collectors trying to swarm them.  
  
“Run, Kara!  I’ve got you covered!” She looked up to see her husband standing at the airlock, assault rifle in hand, as the others leaped in beside him.  Putting on a burst of speed, she ran toward the Normandy, barely breaking stride when a falling piece of the Collector base took out the platform closest to the airlock.  
  
“Shit,” she muttered, hitting the button for the boosters Mordin had added into her belt, making a mental note to thank the salarian for thinking to add that feature to her armor.  Pushing off the edge of the closest platform, Kara jumped, the boosters helping her clear the distance between the Collectors and the ship.  Landing in a semi-crouch inside the airlock, pain burst through her as her left knee smacked into the edge with enough force she felt something crack.  
  
“One minute to detonation,” EDI informed the group, Joker letting off a few more shots to give Grunt and Jack enough time to pull Kara safely inside before shutting the airlock tight.  
  
“Let’s get the hell outta here,” Kara ordered, letting out a whimper as she hopped on over to Joker’s seat as he navigated them away from the Collector base and back toward the relay.  
  
“Already on it.  Now get your ass down to Chakwas while I get us back home.”  
  
“Aye, aye, love.”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
“Is it just me or was it more satisfying to hang up on the Illusive Fucker than what it was on the Council during our Saren days?” Joker grinned as Kara left the conference room a few days later.  
  
“Oh, it was a hell of a lot more satisfying.  I honestly can’t believe he thought I’d be stupid enough to leave that base in one piece.  Just because I’m blonde, that doesn’t mean I’m an idiot.”  
  
“So, what now?”  
  
“We enjoy our little vacation while we get the Normandy space worthy again, then do a few odd jobs for the Council to keep funds rolling in to tide us over until the twins are born.  Then I figured we’d try to work something out with Hackett, since I’ve got my reports to back us up, to see if the Alliance will take us back without a possibility of court-martial.  How’s that sound?” Kara replied.  
  
“Like a plan I could get behind.  Right now, though, since you’re all healed, and I’m all healed, I figured we could finally finish that thought I started before we went through the Omega 4,” he grinned, waggling his brows suggestively.  
  
“Lead on, oh husband mine!”   
  
“With pleasure!” Joker laughed, grabbing his wife’s hand and tugging her into the elevator behind him.


	21. Two Bundles of Precious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joker finally becomes a daddy!

_**February 14, 2186 - Three Months Later**_  
  
“Councilor Tevos, I understand that this is a serious matter, but I’m in no condition to go running off to the Terminus Systems, as you can very well see,” Kara snapped, hands on her hips as she stared down the Asari matron.  “I don’t know how long it takes your people to bake a kid in the oven, but I’m just going into my 8th month and can barely make it from one end of the Normandy to the other without my back feeling as if it’s about to break in half.”  
  
“She has a point, Councilor,” Sparatus cut in before his fellow council member could open her mouth to speak.  “We have other Spectres at our disposal.”  
  
“But none who can work with Aria as well as Shepard can,” Tevos muttered.  “And, while we’ve appreciated what you’ve done for us since cutting ties with Cerberus, your continued cooperation will go far in helping your case with the Alliance,” the older woman stated, turning back to Kara.  
  
“For which I’m grateful that you’ve allowed me to stay within the Spectre ranks, but I’m in no physical condition…” she stopped mid sentence, one hand gripping her now rock hard belly, the other fumbling to grab the rail, her knees threatening to give way as a shard of pain ripped through her.  “I think… I think this proves my point,” Kara gasped.  
  
“We need a team of medics to the Council chambers in the Presidium Tower immediately,” Councilor Valern barked through the comm.  
  
“I’m sorry I’m late.  I had some business to take care of…” Anderson said as he strode into the assembly, his eyes widening when he noticed Kara curled up on the platform across from the dais.  “Did anyone get a hold of Huerta Memorial?” he asked, rushing off the platform and around the room to reach his former XO’s side.  
  
“Councilor Valern alerted them, requesting assistance, right before you arrived,” Sparatus answered.  “Good job, Tevos,” he muttered to the asari.  
  
“I… well damnit it’s not as if I did this on purpose,” Tevos huffed.  
  
“Oh gods, Anderson, they’re coming,” Kara looked up at him, her eyes wide with panic, as she felt her water break.  “I’m a month early.  They shouldn’t be arriving yet.  I’m scared.”  
  
“Shh, Kara, they’ll be fine,” Anderson said, taking her hand in his.  “I’ll stay with you until Joker arrives.”  
  
“Thank you,” she sighed, leaning heavily against her former captain.  “I want Chakwas there too.”  
  
“I’ll make sure of it.”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Joker looked around their apartment, making a few last minute adjustments and eyeing his handiwork to make sure everything was absolutely perfect.  Fresh day lilies sat in a cut crystal vase in the middle of the dining table, the candles flanking the arrangement ready to be lit.  Pasquale, owner of their favorite Italian restaurant, waited on standby for Joker’s call to start on the meal to be delivered.  
  
On the couch lay a wrapped box with _**the**_ top of the line back cushion currently out on the market nestled inside, advertised to help support the spine and virtually embrace the user in a cocoon of warmth and softness.  Kara had been eyeing it more and more lately with the way her back had been spasming over the weight of the twins.  Walking over to the spare bedroom, he eyed what he considered the piece de resistance - the new nursery.  Due to the complex not allowing renters to paint the rooms, it made decorating a lot easier.  The only problem Joker had was trying to figure out a way to get Kara to leave so he could have everything delivered and alert their friends who had happily jumped at the chance to help with arranging everything.  Luckily the Council had taken care of that, though he wondered what they were going to try and talk her into doing this time.    
  
“She’s going to love this,” Dr. Chakwas smiled, patting Joker on the shoulder.  
  
“I just hope I didn’t go overboard, especially since I know you guys are planning a baby shower for her next week,” he smiled a bit sheepishly.  
  
The two of them took in the twin antique cherry oak cribs, matching changing table, dresser, and gliding rocking chair.  The color scheme of the bedding and chair cushion was a happy mix of pastel greens and yellows.  Appliqués of frolicking sheep adorned the walls, though some were in compromising situations - such as one stuck in a tree while trying to nibble on an apple, another on a small bump of land surrounded by water.  The overall feel of the room was as silly as it was comforting.  
  
Joker looked down at his omni-tool the moment his personal comm. went off.  “Ahh crap.  If it’s her, I don’t want her to see this before she gets home,” he said to the Dr., turning off visual before answering.  
  
“Joker, it’s Anderson!” the Councilor barked at him, the tone in the man’s voice setting Joker’s nerves on edge.  Turning on visual he looked at Anderson.  
  
“What are you yelling at me for?  Don’t get testy with me if the Council bitched you out for being late.  You volunteered to help with the nursery,” he snapped back, Chakwas coming up behind him.  
  
“Oh, good, Chakwas is with you.  Kara’s been rushed to Huerta Memorial.  She went into labor while in session with the Council.  She wants you both here with her.”  
  
“Damnit!  She’s still got a month left to go!”  Joker looked between  Anderson and Chakwas, fear causing bile to rise up to the back of his throat.  
  
“It’s not unusual for twins to be early, Joker,” Chakwas smiled gently.  “She needs us, so let’s get going.”  
  
“Y-Yeah… I should… I should radio Garrus and have him let the others know.  Oh gods, I’m gonna be a dad!”  His vision wavered for a moment as reality set in, his skin becoming a bit pale.  
  
“Don’t pass out on me now, Joker.  You know Kara would never let you live it down if you fainted,” the Dr. chuckled.  
  
“I’m gonna be a dad!” he said again, though this time he bounced with excitement.  “Let’s go!”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
“You’re doing great, love,” Joker murmured in his wife’s ear, rubbing her belly through each contraction.  Because of his Vrolik’s, the medical staff had found a thick, fluffy pillow to sandwich between the two of them to allow him to still physically support to his wife through her labor.  
  
“I’m so tired,” she panted, resting her head back against his shoulder.  Her smile was weary as he rubbed his cheek against her sweat soaked temple.  
  
“Only one more to go, Shepard,” Chakwas urged her on, reaching over to wipe a cool, damp cloth over the Commander’s face.  
  
“When the next contraction hits, I need you to push,” the obstetrician stated.  
  
“I can’t… too exhausted…”  
  
“Yes you can, Kara.  You took down Saren and destroyed the Collector base.  I know you can do this,” Joker contradicted.  
  
“ ‘Kay… will tryyyyyyy…” she cried out the last word, fingers digging into the mattress as she bore down as a contraction hit.  “Ahhh, shit this huuuuurts…”  
  
They were greeted by a loud, booming cry as their second daughter was born.  Kara collapsed back against her husband, an exhausted laugh escaping her as tears streamed from her eyes.  
  
“Ten fingers, ten toes, and another set of very healthy lungs,” the obstetrician chuckled, handing the newborn over to a nurse for bathing.  
  
“They take after their mom,” Joker smiled, kissing Kara’s cheek.  “You should hear her barking orders at her squad.”  
  
“And here… here I thought you said I brayed like an ass,” Kara laughed a bit breathlessly.  
  
“That too,” he grinned.  
  
“Let’s get mommy cleaned up so you can receive visitors if you’re up for it.”  
  
“Chakwas can stay in here and help if you want to go out to the waiting room and give everyone the news,” Kara said, gently squeezing her husband’s hand.  “That is if there’s anyone still waiting around after the last ten hours.”  
  
Being careful for both himself and his wife, Joker slid out from behind, though he was a bit shaky on his feet from nerves and adrenaline.  Leaning down, he kissed her forehead with a gentle smile.  “I’ll be back soon, love.”  Before leaving, he walked over to the crib the twins lay in, awe clearly written all over his face.  His steps more unsteady than usual, Joker stepped out of the room and made his way the short distance to the waiting room, only to find himself crowded by quite a few of Kara’s squad and Normandy crew.  
  
“How is she?”  
  
“How’re the babies?”  
  
“You okay there, Joker?”  
  
He could only laugh at those and the myriad of other questions he was bombarded with.  
  
“Kara’s fantastic, though exhausted.  The twins are healthy and can scream almost as loud as your beloved Commander.  And gods… they’re beautiful.  The first one… she’s… she’s got my hair color and Kara’s eyes… the other one has Kara’s hair but my eyes… I’m… oh wow…” he collapsed into a nearby chair.  “They’re actually real enough to hold now.  I’m a father…”  
  
Before he could pass out, Jack, with surprising gentleness, pushed Joker’s head between his knees.  
  
“Is everything all right?” Anderson asked from the doorway, followed by Hackett, both  men’s hands filled with balloons and a large teddy bear for each girl.  
  
“Everything is fine.  I think Joker’s just a bit overwhelmed,” Garrus answered, mandibles twitching as he tried, and failed, to hold back a grin.  
  
“I can’t wait for my dad and sister to see the girls.  Their ship should be arriving the day after tomorrow.”  
  
“Looks like we helped you with your Valentine’s gift to Kara not a moment too soon,” Anderson smiled at his former pilot.  
  
“Tell me about it,” Joker laughed, straightening up in his seat.  
  
“Jeffrey Moreau?” a nurse called out as she entered the room.  When he turned in her direction, she waved for him to follow her.  “Everybody’s all squeaky and wanting to see daddy.  Figured you’d want some time with your wife before you two receive any other visitors to the room.”  
  
“Daddy…” Joker’s face split into a grin.  “I love the sound of that.”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
With one arm wrapped around Kara’s waist, Joker reached out with the other to run his fingers lightly over the twin’s sleeping faces as the two of them stood beside one of the cribs in the nursery.  
  
“I still can’t get over how perfect they are,” he whispered.  
  
“I can’t believe Anderson and Hackett showed up with those big honkin’ teddy bears,” Kara chuckled softly.  “Nor how amazing this room is.  I’m sorry I ruined your plans for Valentine’s Day.”  
  
The two of them exited the room, closing the door part way as to not wake the babies, and when he felt as if they were a far enough distance from the twins’ room, Joker pulled Kara into his arms, kissing her lightly.  
  
“Ruin my plans?  Hell, you gave me the best present I could have ever asked for.  So what if I had to postpone things a couple of days?  Those two bundles of precious sleeping in the other room are so worth it.”  
  
“Was it just me or did Anderson and Hackett choke up a bit when they realized we named one of the girls after them?”  
  
“Yup, just like Chakwas teared up when we announced Presslie’s name.”  
  
“Davina Stephanie and Presslie Richelle Moreau,” Kara smiled.  “One named after two men who have become like fathers to me and the other after friends lost.  A fitting way to honor them, don’t you think?”  
  
“Luckily they look a hell of a lot better than their namesakes, taking after the two of us instead,” he grinned.  
  
Kara shoved her face in the crook of Joker’s neck to muffle her bark of laughter.  “You’re horrible.”  
  
“Yeah, but you love me anyway.”


	22. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara finally gets the green light to resume relations with her husband, then finds her world turned topsy turvy at a request made of her by Admiral Hackett.

Running her palm over the access panel and standing still for the ocular scan, Kara waited patiently for the apartment door to unlock.  Bouncing inside the moment she heard the click, she looked around the room, grinning when she saw Joker sprawled out on the couch having fallen asleep while watching the vid screen.  
  
“Hey sleepy head,” she smiled down at him after waking him up with a soft brush of her lips against his.  
  
“Mmm, great way to wake up,” he smiled back, scooting up to a sitting position.  The moment he was upright, Kara straddled him on the couch, resting her arms on his shoulders.  
  
“Twins taking a nap?”  
  
“Nah, dad and Gunny wanted to spend time with them - wanted to ‘celebrate’ their one month birthday.  I didn’t see why not, so they left with Davie and Presslie about ten minutes ago.”  
  
“Oh thank the gods,” she murmured, diving in for a heated kiss, her body pressing tight against Joker’s.  
  
Letting out a muffled groan, he let himself get lost in the sensations of her lips against his, the taste of her, and the glide of her tongue against his.  Their love life had been virtually non-existent from her 7th month of pregnancy on and waiting had been hell. Pulling away before the heat between them threatened to set the apartment on fire, he looked up into his wife’s silver-blue eyes, and traced a thumb over a cheekbone.  
  
“What did the obstetrician have to say?” he asked.  
  
“All systems are a go and ready to dock with the station,” she grinned.  
  
“Gods, I love it when you talk shop,” he moaned, diving back into her mouth, his hands tugging at the hem of her shirt and sliding up against the warm, smooth expanse of skin of her back.    
  
Pulling back to nip at his lips, Kara shrugged out of her shirt and let his dexterous fingers work on her bra clasp as her own divested her husband of his t-shirt.  Pressing skin against skin the moment their chests were bare, twin sighs filled the air.  
  
“I don’t know if I’m patient enough for foreplay,” Joker ground out as his mouth found purchase on a pert, hard nipple.  Her gasp urged him on and his hands slid down to work on the fastenings of Kara’s jeans.  His whole body shuddered as Kara dragged her nails lightly over his chest and belly to tuck themselves beneath the waist of his.  
  
“That… that makes two of us,” she whimpered when he got impatient enough at trying to push her pants down and just shoved his hand beneath her panties, two fingers diving deep into her already hot and slick core.  
  
“Take them off,” his voice was rough.  Bright green burned into her as Joker looked at her through half-closed eyes.  
  
Sucking in a gasp when his fingers left her as she stood, Kara quickly toed off her sneakers and shimmied out of her jeans.  Joker made fast work of divesting himself of his own pants, his gaze hungry as he looked at his wife and licked his lips.  
  
“C’mere,” the pilot ordered, tugging his wife back onto his lap.  Pulling herself from the sexual daze long enough to grab up the pillows nearby to shove behind Joker’s back for support, Kara then watched as he guided himself into her.  Feeling him filling her, stretching her as she sank down on him, it was a sensation she’d missed.  It had been far too long since they’d been able to connect with each other like this.  They had stopped when it had become too physically uncomfortable for her.   
  
Their bodies easily settled back into the perfect rhythm, as if it hadn’t been months since they’d last been intimate in such a way.  Her hips rolled against his in ways that had Joker’s breath hitching in the back of his throat.  The way he angled himself with each thrust pulled whimpers from her and had Kara trembling in his arms.  
  
“I’m not… I’m not going to last long,” Kara gasped in his ear, each press of their bodies together rubbing her nipples deliciously against his chest and sending tingles down her spine.  
  
“Gods… neither… neither am I,” he moaned, already increasing the pace, his fingers digging into her thighs.  Holding her hips in place, the look in his eyes a bit wicked since he wanted to see her fly first, he reached out with his thumb and pressed it up against her clit, letting her rub against it with each up stroke he made.  
  
“Je-Jeff…” Kara keened, her body quaking against his as her climax hit her hard.  The way her body milked him, he followed right behind, gasping out her name on a prayer.  
  
“That was…” Joker shuddered, holding her close.  
  
“Mmhmm,” she agreed, resting her forehead on his shoulder.  
  
“Maybe we can see if dad would be willing to keep the girls a few extra hours and once we have the strength to move we take this to the bedroom?”   
  
“I’m all for that idea,” Kara agreed, sitting up and gifting him with a soft kiss.  Both stiffened at the sound of her omni-tool going off.  Looking down at the caller, she flushed pink and grabbed for the nearest shirt which happened to be Joker’s, and tugged it on. “It’s Hackett,” she answered the unspoken question in his eyes.  
  
“Admiral,” Kara answered the call, wondering, in the back of her mind, how she might appear to her superior.  
  
“Commander Shepard,” Hackett returned, though the little grin on his face told her he had just become aware of what she had been doing - which meant she must have looked quite disheveled.  “My apologies for… ahh… interrupting you.”  
  
“Oh gods,” Joker laughed, his body vibrating beneath hers as the hilarity of the situation kicked in.  
  
“No apologies necessary, sir.  We were… umm… already finished?” she retorted, her cheeks flaming more, causing her husband to almost choke on his laughter.  
  
“Glad to hear it as I’m actually nearing your door.  I need to speak with the two of you about an important matter.”  
  
“Yes, sir.  Give us about five minutes please, and we’ll be suitable for company.”  
  
Kara was certain that had she not still been straddling her husband, he would have fallen off the couch in laughter, finding the whole situation beyond hilarious due to the embarrassing nature of it all.  
  
“Can do.  And remind your husband to come up for air.  I’m afraid he might break something if he continues to laugh as hard as he is.  Hackett, out.”  
  
“Oh gods,” Kara giggled the moment she had cut off comms.  “We’d better get dressed and, umm, I think we’d better take the seat on the couch where we were just… y’know…”  
  
“Fucking like bunnies?” her husband levied a shit eating grin at her as she tossed his clothes at him, also quickly divesting herself of his shirt so she could get dressed in her own.  
  
“Spirits,” she borrowed one of Garrus’ terms.  “I don’t know if I can look the man in the face after this.”  
  
“We’re married, Kara, so it’s not like he isn’t aware of what goes on between a husband and wife,” Joker grinned, pulling his own clothes on.  
  
“Yes, but, lording it over our crew is a hell of a lot different than advertising it to the Admiral!” she laughed.  
  
“True, but your reactions were priceless.  Wish I’d thought to take pictures.”  
  
Shaking her head, she tossed a pillow at him as she made her way toward the door their superior was waiting behind.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
“Wish we’d had a bit more time with the twins before being thrust back into the wide expanse of space,” Kara sighed, the Normandy making its way toward Aratoht in the Bahak System.  
  
“Yeah, well, besides that, I wish he’d let you take at least one person down there with you.  I mean I understand why it needs to be all hush-hush, but this makes me nervous as hell.”  
  
“Luckily I’m damned good at what I do.  Hopefully it won’t take too long.  Should just be a simple snatch and grab.  What I’m more concerned about is this evidence about an imminent Reaper invasion that Dr. Kenson has found.”  
  
“That makes two of us,” Joker grumbled.  “Especially since nobody but Anderson and Hackett actually believes us.  The Council and the rest of the Alliance would rather believe Sovereign was some sort of geth construct.”  
  
“Which means, when the Reapers actually do attack, we’re all gonna be hangin’ bare assed and therefore easy pickin’s for the sons of bitches,” Kara sighed.  “Which, oddly enough, just reminded me… EDI, how’s the programming coming along to pass you off as a VI when I have the ship retrofitted back to Alliance standard so you’re not tampered with?”  
  
“Everything is in order, Shepard.  Those who come on board will not be able to activate any aspect of my programming without voice, handprint, and ocular verification of either yourself or Jeff.  I should also add, that while you were both off ship, Cerberus attempted to retake control of the Normandy.  I flooded them with seven  zettabytes of explicit imagery, much of it copies of yours and Jeff’s files.”  
  
Kara snorted out a laugh.  Joker stared at the silver-blue glow of EDI’s holo terminal before letting out a guffaw of his own.  
  
“Oh how fast they grow up.  I’m so proud of you, EDI!” Joker grinned.  
  
“I wish I could have seen the looks on their faces,” Kara cackled.  “On a serious note, however, have they attempted anything since?”  
  
“Negative, Shepard.  I believe they have realized it is futile for them to try anything else.  You are my crew and this is your ship, so I will do whatever is within my programming to keep it, and yourselves, safe.”  
  
“Thank you, EDI.  With this new development, it makes me doubly glad I thought to add in a fail-safe so the Alliance couldn’t remove you from the Normandy.  You belong here now just as much as myself and Joker.”  
  
“My pleasure, Shepard,” the AI’s voice held something almost akin to warmth.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Unbeknownst to Dr. Kenson, Kara had been taking pictures - of the count-down, the station itself, along with Object Rho when shown its existence.  She also recorded the conversations between them.  Hopefully between both, she’d have all her bases covered.  This way, if shit went south, she had more than enough evidence of what was going on to present to Hackett once everything was over and done with.  
  
And oh boy did shit go south.  Her head was heavy and her mouth felt fuzzy as she struggled to sit up from the table she found herself laid out on.  Not paying attention to the woman screaming on the other side of the window about her waking up, Kara checked her omni-tool, which they hadn’t removed from her as they had her armor and weapons, and made sure all her files were still there.  Sliding off the table - damn did it feel like waking up at the Lazarus Station all over again, minus the mechs - she smirked at the lab tech ordering her to stay away from the nearby console.  
  
“Fuck you,” she muttered, powering up one of the LOKI mechs, using it to clear a path from where she was to the room that held her belongings.  “Nobody holds me prisoner and gets away with it.”  
  
Sprinting to the cabinet that held her armor and weapons, she tried to radio Joker over her comm. as she suited up.  
  
“What the fuck happened to you?!  I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for the last 46 hours!” Joker hissed.  
  
“Gods damnit!  That means I have two hours left…” Kara shuddered.  
  
“Mind explaining that?”  
  
“There’s a live Reaper artifact here - by the pulses it’s been sending out the scientists have been able to narrow down a timeline for Reaper arrival since it reacts to their presence.  If I don’t do something soon, they’ll be through the fucking relay in two hours!”  
  
“Sonuva… I’ll leave you alone so you can do whatever you need to do to stop that, grab Kenson, and get your ass on the ship.”  
  
“No go on Kenson.  She’s indoctrinated.  Hell, she’s the reason  I’ve been knocked out for the last 46 hours,” Kara grumbled.  
  
“Ok, then pretend it’s the Collector base and you just set the timer on that damned bomb and haul fucking ass!  Do whatever you need to do to stop those things from coming through the relay.  Keeping comm. live.”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
“Sorry, Hackett, but after what she did to me, your friend is going down with this ship,” Kara muttered, activating the second cooling unit.  Whatever Kenson did, it cut off not just the warning she was trying to broadcast to the planet down below, but comms. between her and Joker.  Of course, the bitch waited until she was finished doing what she could to warn the batarians before letting her know she’d disrupted the audio stream.  
  
She couldn’t wait until she caught up to the woman.  Kenson was going to pay.  It didn’t matter that the woman was indoctrinated.  This woman had tried to give her to the Reapers, almost taking her away from her husband and children.  By not taking precautions, she had put the entire galaxy at risk of an imminent invasion.  No, crazy like this should not be allowed to live.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
And live, she didn’t.  Kara winced as her hand felt the large bump at the back of her head thanks to the smack it had taken against the floor when she was tossed back by the concussion of the explosion Kenson had set off.   Stepping over what was left of the doctor, she ran out of the room, her heart lodging itself in her throat when she saw she had only a half an hour left.  She had been knocked out for a good forty-five minutes.  
  
Cursing under her breath, she made her way to the roof of the lab in record time, though she watched with frustration as the small handful of people who were still alive left in the last available Kodiak on the station.  Kicking one of the nearby crates,  she let out a little scream, then felt absolutely foolish at her mini tantrum when the comm. tower came into her field of vision.  
  
The resulting explosion from the rocket the YMIR mech fired in her direction picked her up off her feet and tossed her into a stack of crates.  Shaking off the ringing in her ears, Kara admonished herself for not scouting out the area to see if those who had escaped had activated any last minute defenses.  Ducking behind the crates, she pulled out her Widow and switched to her disruptor ammo, taking care with each shot, whittling down the mech’s shields.  Once she took those out, Kara alternated shots with a few incinerates, finally destroying the powerhouse bot.  
  
“Gods, I hate those things,” she sighed, scoping the area before leaping out of her hiding place and jogging over to the comm. tower.  Fingers fast over the console, she opened a channel, wishing she could warn the batarians, but knowing she had barely enough time to get Joker to her location so they could exit the system before the asteroid hit the Mass Relay.  
  
“Joker, it’s Kara!  I need a pick-up at these coordinates!” she called out, the moment the VI stated that external communications channels were open.  “Joker, do you read?”  
  
Hearing nothing but silence, she started panicking, pacing back and forth in front of the comm. terminal with each passing second that yielded no response.  Her head snapped up when she heard the beginnings of a transmission, her blood running cold when she saw the holo of a Reaper instead of receiving a reply from her husband.  
  
“Shepard, you have become an annoyance,” Harbinger began.  “You struggle against inevitability - dust struggling against cosmic winds.  This seems a victory to you, a star system sacrificed.  But even now your greatest civilizations are doomed to fall.  Your leaders will beg to serve us.”  
  
“People will die.  Maybe we’ll lose half the galaxy, maybe more, but I will do whatever it takes to rid the galaxy of you fuckers.  However insignificant we might be in your eyes, we _will_ fight, we _will_ sacrifice, and we _will_ find a way.  That’s what humans do,” Kara stared down the reaper in defiance.  
  
“Know this, as you die in vain.  Your time will come.  Your species _will_ fall.  Prepare yourselves for the arrival,” Harbinger stated, before disappearing from her view.    
  
“C’mon, Joker,” she muttered under her breath, her conversation with the Reaper, along with the impending impact of asteroid upon relay, causing her nerves to scream.  
  
“Kara, I’m on my way.  Normandy inbound for pick-up,” she heard her husband over the comm.    
  
“Thank the gods,” she breathed out.  The moment the ship came into view, she began sprinting toward the loading platform, taking a running leap into the open airlock.  The moment she was inside, she rushed into the cockpit.  
  
“Get us the fuck out of here now.  I don’t want to be on the wrong side of that relay when the asteroid hits,” Kara ordered, something in her gut telling her to keep an eye on the galaxy map.  Following her instincts, she left her husband’s side, dodging the few members of the skeleton crew they had taken with, and stared down at the map in front of her.  Her grip on the rail tightened until her knuckles were white, unconsciously bending the metal beneath, as she saw the entire star system wink out and disappear from the map.  Without a word to anyone around her, Kara walked to the elevator, taking it up to her room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
“I have no idea what happened down there.  She hasn’t moved since she came up here, except to grab her datapad and, I guess, put together a report for you,” Joker murmured to the Admiral standing beside him as Chakwas checked over the Commander who sat in eerie silence on the edge of her bed.  “Last time I saw her like this was after you had her go to Alchera for that stupid statue.”  
  
At Hackett’s look, Joker stared right back at the older man.  
  
“Don’t ask me to apologize for that.  Sending her back there messed her up pretty bad.”  
  
Chakwas murmured something to Kara then approached the two men.  “Physically she’s fine - no evidence of Reaper indoctrination.  Mentally, however…”  
  
As if finally realizing there were others in the room, Kara turned to look at the small group who stood at the top of the stairs near the model display case.  
  
“305,000 batarians dead.  305,000 fucking dead because I had no other recourse than to send that asteroid into the Mass Relay.  I tried to warn them but comms. were cut and then time ran out.  Doesn’t matter that it just bought us time to prepare against a Reaper invasion no one believes me about, but I’m in the shit now, aren’t I?” she sighed, looking away from them to stare some more at her hands.  “We’ve got a Reaper invasion looming on the horizon and now I’ve probably started a war between us and the batarians.”  
  
“And what of Dr. Kenson?” Hackett asked.  
  
“Dead.  Blew herself up when she realized I was serious about keeping the Reapers from hitting the galaxy for as long as I could.  Said she’d die without knowing the Reapers blessing while I’d just die.  She meant to kill me too - it just didn’t take.  I’ve included, in my report, pictures along with recorded conversations with her from my time on the station, as well as logs I found throughout the facility detailing her, and the others’, descent into indoctrinated madness.”  
  
“I’m sorry, Shepard.  At least you tried.  Yes, the batarians will be gunning for us - there’s enough evidence here for a witch-hunt even though nothing specifically points at this being an act of premeditated aggression.”  
  
“This is not how I wanted to start things off when I turned myself over to the Alliance along with the Normandy,” she sighed.    
  
“You have my word that Anderson and I will continue to do what we can to keep your visit short and get the Normandy retrofitted in accordance with Alliance protocols and back into your possession.  Even if the batarians come after you, we all know you’re safest and at your most dangerous when you’re left to your own devices and not stuck in some detention center.”  
  
“Thank you, sir.  All I ask is that I be allowed a few days before heading in.  I’d like some time with the girls…” she trailed off, choking up.  Joker approached his wife, sitting beside her on the bed and pulling her against his side, letting her weep on his shoulder.  
  
“Meet me on Arcturus Station in two week’s time, Commander.  Hopefully that will be enough to get things in order before the Alliance Council gets antsy.”  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
“If it were up to me, Commander, you’d get a medal for what you just pulled off,” Hackett murmured, turning on his heel and leaving the room.  
  
“I’m scared, Jeff,” Kara sighed into her husband’s side.  
  
“We’ll pull through this, Kara.  We always do.”


	23. The Reapers Arrive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara feels cut off from her husband during her detention, only to be released when the Reapers attack Earth.

“So, how’s your day gone so far?”  
  
His voice was a balm to her system.  Granted, she knew the Alliance was holding her here not so much as a punishment but more as a safety precaution, but being stuck in the Vancouver Detention Center without physical contact with Joker, let alone being able to hold their daughters, was pure torture.  She’d been there six months so far and all she could do was hope that the retro-fit to the Normandy was finished soon.  On the plus side, she hadn’t been tossed in the brig and both her and Joker had been reinstated into the Alliance, without prejudice, even if they had previously been working with Cerberus.  
  
“Had an interesting call earlier from a member of the Batarian Hegemony.  Guess he’d been trying to get through to me since they learned of my ‘capture’ and the Alliance finally allowed him to speak to me.”  
  
“Ahh, shit,” Joker sighed.  “How many assholes did he try to rip you for what happened to the colony on Aratoht?”  
  
“None.  He… He was there, Jeff, at the same time I was on the asteroid.  Said they got the warning loud and clear and that at least a half to two-thirds of the colonists made it out in time.  He wanted to thank me for saving as many people as I did.  I don’t know how my message got through, but knowing that I saved some lives…” Kara trailed off, letting out a little sniffle.  
  
“When I sensed Dr. Kenson trying to cut off communications, Shepard, I sacrificed your uplink to Jeff and used the Normandy to boost the signal so your warning went out,” EDI stated from the background.  “I didn’t inform you because I wasn’t sure if I caught it in time.”  
  
“EDI, you’re a lifesaver - literally and figuratively.  If you had a body, I’d hug you,” she smiled.  “Thank you.”  
  
“You’re welcome, Shepard.”  
  
“Oh, babe, heard from my dad today.  Him, Gunny, and the twins have settled into the new apartment across from ours without any problems.  The Alliance found him a job he can do from home so he can keep an eye on the girls and not have to worry about a babysitter during the day when Gunny is in school.”  
  
“Glad to hear it.  What about the Normandy?  How much more is there to do on her?  They keep promising that the moment she’s finished I can return to the ship,” Kara asked.  
  
“Looks like what’s left is mainly cosmetic and clean-up - y’know, replacing panels, shoring up cables and wiring, stuff like that.”  
  
“Thank the gods - that means only a few more days, tops.  I’ve been away from you and the ship for far too long, and the first stop we make once I’m back on board is the Citadel so we can be with the girls.”  
  
“Sounds like a plan, love.  Ahh, shit, looks like I gotta cut the call short.  Chatter just started blowing up around here - not sure what about, yet, but it looks serious.  Might need to keep comms. open,” Joker sighed.  
  
“No worries, Jeff.  Looks like I’ll be seeing you soon.  Love you,” Kara smiled.  
  
“Love you too, Kara.  Joker, out.”  
  
Shutting down her comm., Kara let her shoulders slump for a moment and stared sightlessly out of a window that looked out over the rooftop garden of a nearby building.  She tried not to show it but being locked away from her family, and stuck in this tiny room, was starting to wear on her.  It wasn’t even so much the worry of batarians coming after her, but possible assassination attempts due to how she had left Cerberus.  A slight smirk curved her lips - she still had access to the funds from the old Lazarus Project, funds that Miranda had given her after she had blown up the Collector base.  That had to have been a kick in the quad for the Illusive Man.  
  
“Commander,” Lt. James Vega stood in the doorway to her room, saluting her.  
  
“Hey, James.  ‘Sup?”  
  
“I was asked to come get you.  Council wants to talk to you, I guess.”  
  
“Any idea what about?”  
  
“No clue - sounded important, though,” he answered, the two of them exiting her room and making their way through the halls.  Kara watched as people scurried about with more urgency than usual, their actions and Joker’s last words to her putting her on high alert.  
  
“Shepard!”  Anderson’s voice cut through the buzzing of voices and foot traffic around her and Kara found herself smiling at her old captain.  
  
“Anderson.”    
  
“How’re you holding up?” he asked, the two of them making quick work through the increasing crowds of people.  
  
“It’s been hard being away from my family for so long.  Didn’t expect the Normandy’s retrofit to take almost six months,” she sighed.  
  
“Because of who you are, and what you do, they turned it into a mobile command center.  That’s the reason for the delay,” Anderson grinned down at her.  “Not only that, but after a small discussion with a turian friend of yours, we installed bulk-head doors that cut off the CIC from the cockpit.”  
  
“Gods,” Kara laughed, her cheeks turning a bit pink.  “It is a good safety feature, though, if the Normandy ever goes through the same shit it did either time with the Collectors.  Nothing will be able to get through to Joker.”  
  
“That was another reason they were installed.”  
  
“So, what’s with all the excitement going on around here?” Kara asked.  
  
“I’m not exactly sure.  I just know that something big is headed our way…” Anderson sighed.  
  
Kara stopped in her tracks and stared up at her old captain and friend, her heart lodging somewhere in the pit of her stomach.  
  
“There’s only one thing I can think of that would cause this much panic.  The Reapers have arrived.”  
  
“We don’t know for certain, Kara, but whatever it is, this is why the Defense Committee wishes to speak with you.”  
  
“I’m damned certain it’s them.  They were close enough to be able to utilize the batarian relay had I not destroyed it.  Shit… we’re not ready by a long shot if it is them.”  
  
“We’ll get it all sorted out,” Anderson patted her shoulder.  The two of them entered the outer offices of the committee chambers, Kara staying a bit behind as the former human ambassador, now an admiral, let one of the secretaries know they had arrived.  
  
“Good luck in there, Shepard,” Vega smiled at Kara, taking her hand in a firm grip and shaking it.  
  
“Thanks, James.  Y’know, once I get the Normandy back under my control, if you’re up for it, I just might see about having you transferred under my command.  You’re a great guy and a terrific soldier from what I’ve seen,” she smiled.  
  
“Hell, yeah!” he grinned back.  
  
“Shepard!”  Kara’s smile faltered as Kaidan interrupted her conversation with the Lieutenant.  
  
“Sonuva… what does the blow hard want now?” she muttered, returning to Anderson’s side.  Her step faltered momentarily when she heard the admiral call Alenko by his new rank.  “Wait, what?  Major?”  
  
“You hadn’t heard?” Anderson asked.  
  
“Nope,” she answered, her gaze hard and calculating when she looked at Kaidan.  “So whose ass did you kiss for this promotion?”  
  
“Kara…” Anderson warned.  
  
“No, seriously.  I mean that’s damned good to go from Lieutenant to Major in less than three years.  I’m curious,” she snorted, a bit put out that the man in front of her now outranked her.  
  
“ _I_ was the one who put him up for this last promotion,” the admiral stated, staring her down.  
  
“Great.  Well at least I know this last one was actually earned.  Congratulations, _Major_.  Just don’t think to try and use that rank against me now that you’ve surpassed mine,” she bit out, removing herself from the group the moment one of the pages came to inform Anderson and herself that the committee was ready for them.  
  
“Aye, aye, Shepard,” Kaidan sighed, watching her as she left.  
  
“You know the Commander?” Vega asked.  
  
“I used to…” he answered sadly.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The Reapers had arrived.  If that wasn’t bad enough, Anderson had decided to remain on Earth and the jackass was back on her ship.  The only upside to the whole situation was the fact that her husband was now just a few minute walk away.  
  
“We’re leaving?” Vega asked from behind her as Kara stormed through the cargo bay toward the elevator doors.  
  
“Yeah.  Gotta head to the Citadel and knock some sense into the Council to try and get help for Earth.”  
  
“I heard those pendejos like to give you a hard time, even if they did make you a Spectre, so why even bother?  The fight’s on Earth!”  
  
“I’d rather be back down there fighting myself, but if we can’t all pull together, Earth’s gone.  Hell, nobody has a chance against the Reapers if we go this fight alone,” Kara sighed.  “We lost a third of the Alliance fleet against Sovereign during the Battle of the Citadel, plus whatever the turians lost, and that was _one_ Reaper.  Much as I hate to say it, we’ll help our people better by leaving.  While I’d love to have you along, if you wanna go back to Earth, you’ll have to grab a ride from the Citadel once we dock.”  
  
“Nah.  I don’t like it, but I get what you’re saying, Commander.  I’m with you one hundred percent,” Vega saluted her, earning a grin in response.  
  
“Kara!”  The voice over the comm. system made her heart skip a beat.  
  
“Hey, Joker.  Long time no chat,” she chuckled.  
  
“I know, it’s been _ages_!” he laughed.  “Got an urgent message for you from Hackett, by the way.”  
  
“Patch it through,” she replied, Vega and Kaidan coming up close behind her to listen in on the message as well.  Her brow furrowed as she listened to Hackett, piecing together what the static had blocked out with what had made it through, and found her curiosity mounting.  
  
“Joker, set a course to the Mars Archives.  There’s something there Hackett wants us to check out,” Kara ordered, the moment the comm. went silent.  
  
“Mars?  That’s… weird.  Fifteen minute ETA.  Oh, and Alenko?  You even think of trying to lay a hand on Kara or give her any shit while you’re down there and I will personally see that you’re tossed out of the nearest airlock upon returning to the Normandy.  Got it?”  
  
“Kiss my ass, Joker.  Whatever there may or may not be between the Commander and myself is for Shepard and I to decide, not you.”  
  
“Major, you’re on thin ice and I would back off, if I were you.  Joker has a right to defend his woman if he feels the need,” Vega stated, taking a step toward the other man.  
  
“Watch it, Lieutenant,” Kaidan leveled his gaze on Vega.  “You’re coming quite close to insubordination.  None of this is your business and I suggest you butt out.”  The Major then turned toward Kara and sighed, hurt in his brown eyes.  “You’re really taking this whole ruse with Joker a bit too far, don’t you think?”  
  
“Get your head out of your ass, Kaidan, and just think for a moment,” Kara sighed.  “And while you’re at it, get in the damned shuttle.  We should be arriving at the archives shortly.”  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kara took up her usual perch next to Joker as the Normandy sped away from Mars toward the Citadel.  Lines bracketed her eyes and mouth from the stress she’d been under the last few hours.  Nails dug into the soft skin of the palms of her hands as they fisted on her thighs, tension thrumming through her body.  
  
“Hey,” Joker reached out and grabbed one of her hands, uncurling it with gentle fingers and rubbing away the crescent shaped indentations out of the heel of her palm.  
  
“Cerberus and the Illusive Man seem to be just one step ahead of me,” she huffed, then turned a pain filled gaze in her husband’s direction, “and if we can’t get to the Citadel quick enough, even with Liara’s help, Kaidan might die.  Damnit, I was so nasty to him down on Mars.  Yes, his actions, especially since Horizon, have rubbed me the wrong way but…”  
  
“He was our best friend, almost like a brother to us both, so yeah, how he acted hurt like fucking hell, but I don’t want him to die with all that harshness between us either, Kara.  Luckily he always had a hard head, so hopefully he’ll pull through,” Joker tugged her against him and held her close, tucking her head beneath his chin.  
  
“I just hope EDI and Liara can make sense of the information in that fucking bucket of bolts down in the AI core.  At least then what happened to Kaidan won’t be for nothing,” Kara sighed.  
  
“If anyone one can, it’s those two.”  
  
“Keep your fingers crossed that the Council actually listens to me this time.  Then again, when have they ever?”  She closed her eyes and buried her nose in the hollow of Joker’s neck.  
  
“If they don’t, then they’re just being self absorbed jackasses who couldn’t see the truth if it bit their noses off.”  
  
“Salarians don’t have noses.  Well not ones that can be bitten off like the rest of us,” Kara chuckled against his warm skin.  
  
“Ok, then they couldn’t see the truth if it bit them in the ass?” Joker grinned, massaging the nape of his wife’s neck.  
  
“That’s more of what I expected, coming from you.”  
  
“Finally, after six months, the Dynamic Duo are back together and at it again, off to save the galaxy one smart-assed comment at a time,” Joker deadpanned, reaching out with his free hand to input a command as the Normandy sped toward the nearest Mass Relay.  
  
“Don’t forget the porn, or Garrus’ calibrations,” Kara cackled.  
  
“With you in command and me in the pilot’s seat, how could I forget?”


	24. Of Councilors and Primarchs

“We’ve got our own problems, Councilor.  Earth is not in this alone,” Sparatus stated, looking down his turian nose at Udina.

“But Earth was the first council world hit.  By all reports, it faces the brunt of the attack!” Udina sputtered.

“By _your_ reports,” Valern retorted.

“You’re shitting me, right?  Liara, please tell me that they’re not over there arguing about this.” Kara’s voice echoed in the council chambers as she strode angrily up to stand next to her friend.

“I’m afraid so, Shepard.”  Liara sighed, dismay flickering through her blue eyes.

“Yeah, well, as far as I’m concerned, this needs to stop.  Earth was attacked by those Reapers you so enjoyed throwing into my face as what you considered to be delusions and figments of my imagination.”  Kara punched a few commands onto her omni-tool, bringing up a large projection of the attack on Earth.  The room was quiet for a few moments as the councilors viewed, with perfect clarity, the destruction of Vancouver.  She heard the gasps as they saw the loss of two Alliance Kodiak shuttles during lift-off, knowing that she had also captured the scene of a frightened child trying to find safety in one of them.

“That video was taken less than a week ago just outside the Alliance offices in Vancouver.  Tell me, does any of that look like a lie to you?  What about the attacks currently happening on Palaven, if the news feeds around the Citadel are correct?  Humans, alone, cannot stop the attack on Earth.  Turians, _alone_ , cannot stop the Reapers on Palaven.  Same goes for the asari or the salarians when your worlds come under fire.”

“We no longer doubt that your claims of Reapers are true, Shepard, but with them encroaching on our borders, if we assist you our own worlds could fall,” Tevos replied, the tone of her voice towards Kara being that of a mother trying to calm an unruly child.

“We must fight this enemy together!” Udina barked out.

“And so we should just follow you to Earth?” Valern sneered.

Sparatus held his hands up, signaling to his comrades to quiet down.  “Even if we were to unite our fleets, do you really believe we could defeat the Reapers?”

“You’re talking to the person who led the charge to defeat Sovereign and the Collectors, or have you conveniently forgotten that?  I don’t walk into shit like this half-assed.  I have a plan, otherwise I wouldn’t be here right now,” Kara stated.

“Councilors… we have that plan.  A blueprint.  Created by the Protheans during their war with the Reapers,” Liara said, her fingers already flying over her omni-tool to bring up the schematics.

“A blueprint for what?” Sparatus asked.

“We’re still piecing it together,” Liara began, the blueprint now on display for the council to see.  “But it appears to be a weapon of some sort.”

“Capable of destroying the Reapers?” Valern leaned further out over his terminal, gaze fixated on the rotating design.

“So it would seem.”

“The scale is… it would be a _colossal_ undertaking!” the salarian councilor sighed, looking a bit defeated.

“Actually, no.  Admiral Hackett has a copy of the plans and already the remnants of the human fleet are gathering resources to begin construction.”  Kara looked each of the councilors in the eye as she spoke.

“Our initial calculations suggest it is very feasible to build,” Liara added in.

“ _If_ we work together,” Kara concluded.

“Did you even stop to think that the Reapers defeated the Protheans, Commander?  What good did this weapon do?” Councilor Tevos asked, her eyes boring into Kara’s.

“It was incomplete.  There was a missing component.  Here.  Something referred to only as the Catalyst,” Liara answered.   “But they ran out of time before they could finish building it.”

“Do you really believe this can stop the Reapers?” the turian councilor asked.

“Sure as hell beats standing here and arguing about it,” Kara huffed.  “I’d rather try and fail, knowing that I did everything I damn well could do to stop these assholes from harvesting the galaxy than fart around trying to decide who does or doesn’t deserve a hand in defending themselves against these things.  The Reapers won’t stop at Earth.  They’re out to destroy every advanced civilization they can find.  And, while I honestly can’t stand Udina, he’s right about this.  We’re totally screwed if we don’t work together.”

The three non-human councilors debated silently for a moment.  As the turian and asari looked down towards their salarian counterpart, the moment he gave them a slight shake of the head, Tevos turned to speak.

“The cruel and unfortunate truth is that while the Reapers focus on Earth, we can prepare and regroup.”

Kara paled in shock, to the point that Liara came up behind her believing the Commander to be a step away from passing out.  From there her skin took on a beet red hue as her anger set in.

“I see how it is.  We’re cannon fodder for you, just as the Batarians were for the rest of the galaxy when the Reapers hit.  Sanctimonious superior assholes.  If you’d _just fucking listened_ from the beginning, you’d already be prepared.”

“Shepard, my office!” Udina ordered as he strode out of the council chamber.

“Tell me, Liara, why did I save those idiots three years ago?” the council heard Shepard ask her friend as they headed down the walkway, away from the dais.  “You’d think saving their lives would at least have given them a modicum of respect for myself and my species and more of a willingness to assist.  Ugh, I need a stiff drink right about now…” her voice faded out as they stepped out of earshot.

“She’s right, councilors,” Sparatus stated, humming a bit in thought.

“This from the one who totally disregarded her claim _to her face_ with your “Ahh yes, Reapers” comment?” the salarian smirked.

“Even so, the humans don’t deserve what we’re setting them up for.  While it might not mean much, or do much good with the galaxy in the state that it’s in, I suggest we allow Commander Shepard to keep her Spectre status,” the turian councilor replied.

“After the way she just spoke to us?  That woman has no sense of respect when it comes to her betters,” the asari councilor mumbled.

“As if we gave her a reason to respect us?  You did just pretty much tell her we’re going to sacrifice Earth to give the rest of us time to ‘prepare and regroup’, yes?” Valern retorted.

“Fine,” Tevos muttered.

“Then if the two of you will excuse me, I need to head to Udina’s office and hope that Commander Shepard is still there.  Good day to you both.”  Sparatus stalked out of the council chamber in the direction of the human councilor’s office.

* * *

“Let me get this straight,” Kara began, grey-blue eyes boring into Sparatus, arms folded over her chest in annoyance.  “You, Tevos, and Valern had the gall to stand there and tell me that Earth is expected to take one for the team and now you want a favor from me?  Why should I help you?”

“You’re upset, Shepard, and rightfully so.”  Sparatus stopped and looked at the petite blonde in front of him as she snorted.  Sighing, he rubbed his talons over the fringe at the back of his neck before continuing on.  “What I’m asking, no, _suggesting_ is that you head to Menae and pick up Primarch Fedorian.  Your ship is the only one that can make it into our system undetected, thanks to the _Normandy’s_ stealth systems, and get him out safely.  A grateful primarch would be a huge asset in uniting the other races for this war.”

“Fine,” Kara growled.

“I’m sorry I can’t do more, Shepard.  One more thing…” He waited for her to tear her eyes off of the news vids streaming in Udina’s office and look his way again.  “While it might not be a huge consolation, the Council has decided to uphold your Spectre status.”

“Well that went well,” she muttered moments after Sparatus left the human councilor’s office.  “Next stop, Menae.  Why do I think this’ll end up more complicated than it seems?”

* * *

After leaving Udina’s office, she stopped by Bailey’s office for a quick chat.  Knowing that Khalisa Bint Sinan al-Jilani would keep dogging her if she didn’t take a moment of her time for an interview, Kara spent a few minutes talking to the woman and impressing upon her the extreme need to keep reminding the council and other races of Earth.  She might not have had the best memories of her birthplace, but she’d be damned if she’d let _anyone_ treat it as a speck of dust, worthy of scant consideration.  Besides, Anderson was there, and she was going to live up to her promise to return with every fleet possible.

“Guessing those _pendejos_ on the council weren’t any help?” James asked, catching up to Kara as she neared the _Normandy’s_ docking tube.

“What gave it away?” she smirked in response, sighing a bit as her fingers were replaced by his strong ones at her temple.

“Pardon the familiarity, Commander, but you looked like you needed some help.  Hope you don’t mind?”

“Mmm, nope.  Only person with better fingers than you is my husband.”  She grinned and pulled away as the headache receded.

“Think Joker’ll try to kick my ass for this?” James chuckled, following her onto the ship.

“Fat chance.  You could break me with just a look if you wanted to,” the pilot chirped in from his perch in the cockpit, earning a laugh from the marine.  “Anyways, Kara told me you’d helped her with her headaches after each session with the Defense Committee, hell sometimes before.  If you hadn’t, she’d have been a raging bitch; sorry sweetheart, you know it’s true,” he cut in at her glower, “and then her incarceration would’ve been real.  Thanks for that, and for sticking up for her in the cargo bay when Major Asshole was being his usual charming self.”

“No problem, man.  So what’s the plan?”

“Once everyone is back on the ship, we’re setting a course for Menae - Palaven’s largest moon.  Gotta pick up the Primarch for a summit.  With all the Reaper activity in the area, we’re the only ones who can get in, grab him, and get out of there without notice,” Kara grumbled.

“What the fuck?” Joker asked.

“According to Councilor Sparatus, a grateful Primarch might be one of the only ways we get the turians on our side for this damned war.  Not only that but he might even be willing to talk the other races into falling in line,” she answered.

“So I’m guessing the council themselves were no help?” Joker frowned at the little growl that came from his wife in response.

“Oh, the lovely asari councilor basically told me that Earth is S.O.L. so everyone else will have the time to ‘prepare and regroup’.  I swear, some days I think I should’ve listened to Liara when she told me to sacrifice the Destiny Ascension so we could focus our entire fleet on Sovereign and its geth.  Maybe a different council would’ve actually listened to me instead of disregarding every word out of my mouth.”

“Or, with the way our luck has been, they could be worse.  Better the devil you know than the one you don’t, right?” Vega added in.

“True enough.  I’m heading to the War Room to let Hackett know our status, then up to the loft to go through reports and try to familiarize myself with this Primarch.  Jeff, I want this bird in the air the moment the last person steps on board.  Vega, you and Cortez make sure our weapons are in tip-top shape just in case we need them.  While they’re not identical, the specs on the Black Widow are close enough to my Widow if the two of you run into any trouble with it.”  Not waiting for a reply, Kara turned on her heel and strode toward the area that used to house Mordin’s lab.

* * *

“Things just keep getting better ‘n better, eh, Commander?” James smirked.

“I don’t know if it’s the curse of Shepard or something, but I knew, I _knew_ that this wouldn’t be a simple pick up.  Damned if my instincts didn’t prove me right yet again,” Kara huffed.

“Do you think, once we get the comm. tower operational, that General Corinthus would allow us to try and track down Garrus?” Liara asked.  “I’ve tried everything I could think of to get a short burst message out to him via my omni-tool but even that’s not working.”

“He’d better, with all we’re doing to get their outpost fully functional.”

The three of them trudged onward, Kara wrinkling her nose when one of the turians explained that they couldn’t get close enough to the tower to attempt repairs due to an overwhelming number of husks.  Switching to her Mattock from the Widow, the three of them equipping incendiary rounds, they made quick work of the reaperized humans.

“Damn, can’t fix the tower from down here,” Kara muttered, the console unresponsive to her attempts to begin the repair matrix.

“I’ll head up and take a look.” Liara stated, approaching the ladder that led to a secondary console.  “Just do me a favor and keep the husks away from me, if any more appear.”

“That’s what a singularity is for, Liara,” Kara snickered.

“You’re incorrigible,” Liara replied, though she grinned down at her friend.

“And that’s why you love me.”

“We’ve got incoming!” James shouted, interrupting the conversation.  Sighing, Liara tossed down a singularity halfway between the ground and herself, earning a laugh from Kara.  As the husks began to converge on their location, both the commander and Vega did what they could to keep any from interrupting their asari friend as she repaired the tower.

“That should do it,” Liara said a few minutes later, jumping down to join the other two.

“Corinthus, can you hear me?” Kara activated her comm., setting it to the frequency the turian had given her prior to them leaving camp.

“Loud and clear, Commander.  While you make your way back, I’ll try to reach Palaven and see what I can learn about who our next Primarch is.”

“Understood.  Shepard out.”

“Let’s hope this doesn’t end up being a waste of time,” Vega muttered.  “The next dude on the list had better be alive and already on this damned moon.  Every minute we spend here is another that Earth goes without help.”

“Preachin’ to the choir, James.”  Kara patted his arm.

“Commander Shepard!” Corinthus called out to her the moment the group came into view.  “We have a lead on who the new Primarch is,” he stated when they came up beside him.  “It’s General Adrien Victus.”

“Victus… his name has crossed my desk a few times,” Liara murmured.

“Where can I find him?” Kara asked.

“No idea.  I can’t raise him on the comm.,” Corinthus replied.

“Damnit, I don’t have time for this!” Kara growled, beginning to pace in the small confines of the armored tent.

“Don’t worry, Shepard, we’ll find him,” a flanging voice tried to soothe.  Kara’s eyes widened and a grin threatened to split her face in two when she looked over at the owner of the voice.

“Garrus!  Damned if I’m not glad to see you alive!”  She reached over to grab his hand in a warrior’s clasp then pulled him in for a hug.  “James, I’d like you to meet Garrus Vakarian, one of my best friends and one of the meanest snipers I happen to know… outside of myself, of course.”

“Pfft, you know I wrote the book on long range, Shepard,” the turian laughed.

“Keep telling yourself that and one day you might actually have others believing you.” She smirked.

“Kara!” Joker interrupted.  “We got a problem.  The _Normandy_ is acting like she’s possessed!  Shutting down systems, powering up weapons.  It’s like fucking Poltergeist up here!”

“Damnit, that’s a complication we don’t need, not with Reapers everywhere we turn.  We need her ready in case we need to bug out.”

“I’ll head up and see what I can do, Shepard.”  Liara smiled at her friend then took off running toward the shuttle.

“So… what’s the plan?” Kara looked up at Garrus.

“I was with Victus earlier today so I have an idea of where he might be.”

“Lead on.”

* * *

Victus was settling into his new role in the War Room while Garrus was reacquainting himself with the Main Battery.  Kara decided to head up to the cockpit and get a report from Joker about the ship’s status when power flickered at the exact same moment she was about to step into the guard station just on the other side of the conference room.

“What the hell just happened?” Kara asked Joker, having activated their personal comm.

“No clue, babe, but EDI isn’t responding!  I can’t get a read on her but the diagnostics I’m running are pointing to the AI core being the center of the fluctuations.”

“On my way.”

Her feet swift, Kara barely heard Traynor’s exclamation that communications were down, her steps carrying her into the waiting elevator.  Exiting onto the Crew Deck, she jogged into the Med Bay, stopping at the door to the AI Core.  The frown on her face became even more severe at the sound of the fire suppression system going off inside the room. 

“What the ever-loving fuck?” she muttered, fingers flying over the door panel.  Coughing from the smoke she inhaled as she entered, she waved it away from her face and tried peering through it while Adams put out the few flickers of flame that were still going.

“EDI, talk to me,” Kara ordered.

“Yes, Shepard?  What would your preferred topic be?” the AI answered, smoke clearing enough that Kara was soon able to see Eva Coré’s body approaching her.  Unholstering her Phalanx, she aimed it at the AI, unwilling to take any chances.

“EDI, that had better as fuck be you in that bucket of bolts or, gods help me, I will riddle it so full of holes not even the Illusive Shit will be able to pull any information from it.”

“I assure you, Shepard, it is me.  While trying to obtain all of the files the Cerberus AI had downloaded from the archives, it… struggled… and I felt it was best to assert my authority over it and inhabit the body, effectively shutting down and removing what was left of Eva in an effort to preserve both myself and the _Normandy_.  Also, it would allow me the chance to assist you when you go groundside.”

Kara put her pistol away and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Just… don’t be surprised if the rest of the crew is a bit wary of your new body, EDI.  Remember, it was shooting at us not that long ago.  And while you’re at it, see if you can find some clothes to cover yourself up with.  I really don’t want a naked AI roaming the ship.”

“Understood, Shepard.  I believe there is a crate down in Engineering with some of Operative Lawson’s old clothes which should fit.”

“Not much of an improvement, but I guess a catsuit is better than nothing,” Kara sighed, though her lips twitched in a semblance of a grin.  “Oh, and one last thing…”

Kara walked up to EDI and gave her a hug, which was returned after a pregnant pause.  “I told you that if you’d had a body, I’d give you a hug after what you did for me on Aratoht.  Now go and grab yourself something to wear, ok?”

“Yes, Kara.  Afterward I think I will head up to the bridge.  I believe Jeff will want to see this.”

“Oh damn, this’ll be interesting,” Kara murmured as the AI walked out of the room.

“Was that EDI that just walked by?” Dr. Chakwas asked.

“Yes, it was.”  Kara continued staring in the direction that EDI had gone.

“Joker’s going to have a coronary,” the doctor chuckled.

“I think I’m going to stay down here until…”

“ _KARA!_ ”  Joker’s panicked voice echoed throughout the ship.

“Well that was quicker than I expected.  Wish me luck!”

Dr. Chakwas replied with a grin and a wink.  Kara laughed and shook her head, heading toward the elevator that would take her to the CIC.  She took her time, going over the pros and cons of having EDI not only in a body, but as an actual squad mate.

“K-Kara…” Joker stuttered as his wife entered the cockpit.  “Something happened to EDI…”

“Yeah, it’s gonna take some time to get used to,” she replied, eyes bouncing between EDI and her husband’s horrified gaze.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to _that_!  That body so does not mesh with the whole mom image I had of her.  Miranda’s uniform doesn’t help matters either.”  Joker shuddered.

“My apologies, Jeff.  Would you prefer if I kept this body in the AI core until such time that Kara decides to take it on missions?” EDI asked.

“No,” he replied, sighing.  “If you stay up here, except for when Kara and I request privacy, maybe I’ll be able to come to terms with it.”  Turning to look up at his wife, he sighed.  “By the way, while you were ground side, Admiral Hackett asked me to let you know of a Cerberus facility in Sigurd’s Cradle that’s studying Reaper tech.  Asked if you could check it out once you were free.  Also, dad mailed me with a reminder of the twin’s upcoming check-up.  Figured, depending on how long this takes, we can try to make it back to the Citadel in time to be there for this one.”

“All right.  Set course for the facility since you seem to have the coordinates for it already and hustle if you can because damned straight, I wanna be there for the girls’ doctor appointment.”

Leaning down, she brushed her lips lightly over Joker’s.

“I’m gonna go catch up with Garrus for a bit then head up to our room and get an official report ready to send in to Hackett.  I’ll see you when you’re off duty?”

Returning her kiss with one of his own, he smiled, heated promise in his eyes.  “You know it.  Now leave me in peace, woman, so I can get us to Sanctum in record time.”

Laughing, Kara left her husband at the helm and left him to do what he did best - make the ship dance to his tune.

 

 


	25. Hospitals and War Summits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins have a check-up, Kaidan is awake, and Kara has a meeting with a salarian dalatrass and krogan clan chief. My, oh my, what will happen next?

There was something so soothing about having a warm baby in her arms, though at 9 months the twins wouldn’t be babies for much longer.  Davie and Presslie were already starting the toddler stage as well as saying their first words.  According to all the baby paraphernalia she’d read, supposedly kids at that age were just sounding things out and didn’t put an actual meaning behind what they were saying, but Kara believed differently.  The girls definitely knew the difference between who was ‘mama’ and ‘dada’ with Joker’s sister Hillary being called ‘Nini’ - a shortened version of Gunny she supposed - while their grandpop was ‘papa’.  Then again, to do what they did, commanding forces and piloting a dangerous war machine, you had to be quite intelligent, so Kara wasn’t surprised that their daughters turned out to be as well.  
  
“Gah, I hate doctor’s appointments,” Joker grumbled as the four of them made their way into the elevator.  “Even check-ups.   _Especially_ ones like this one since Presslie has been showing signs of having a mild version of my Vrolik’s.”  
  
“And like I said before, if she does, she does,” Kara replied, the small group exiting out of the elevator and into Huerta Memorial’s lobby.  “Outside of the whole potty mouth and porn thing, she’s got a damned good role model in her daddy.”  
  
“I’m not any worse than you when it comes to the potty mouth and porn thing,” her husband smirked in reply.  
  
“Of which I’m well aware,” Kara chuckled.  Sighing, she switched Presslie to her other arm when her omni-tool signaled an incoming message.  “Whoever it is, whatever emergency they might be having, it’ll have to wait.  Having time out with you and our girls is more important, even if part of the day will be spent in here.”  
  
“Well why don’t you read the damned thing so you can tell whoever it is to shove off then.”  
  
Rolling her eyes at her husband, Kara pulled up her messages and read the newest one.  Her lips quirked into a wicked grin, the gleam in her eyes making Joker a bit nervous.  
  
“Do I even want to know?”  
  
“Kaidan is awake and would like to see me.  He wants to talk, he said.  Since we’re a bit early, I think I’ll go do just that, but you don’t mind if I take one of the girls with me, do you?  Maybe having one of them there will push home that I’m not available, and keep me from losing my temper if he decides to pull the idiot card.”  
  
“Which one do you think you’ll take in there with you?”  
  
“Presslie.  She’s already in my arms and just as blonde as mommy.”  
  
“Oooh good choice!  And it’ll hopefully unsettle him a bit to see my eyes looking out from under that mop of hair of hers,” Joker snickered.  
  
“Mmhmm,” Kara agreed, leaning in to give her husband a kiss.  
  
“Give him hell, my girls!”  
  
“As if we’d do anything else?”  
  
Joker’s laugh followed behind her.  Dodging the visitors and patients littering the lobby, Kara entered the decontamination zone, pausing long enough to press her daughter’s face against her neck to shield the little girl’s eyes from the strobing light.  Once through the other side, she stopped to look around, locating both Kaidan’s room and the office her and Joker were to meet the doctor in.  Taking a deep breath, she approached her former LT’s room and stepped inside, almost running into Udina in the process.  
  
“Shepard,” the councilor ground out, narrowing his eyes at her until he realized she wasn’t alone.  His gaze became soft, almost tender when he noticed Presslie.  “She’s beautiful, Commander,” he added, moving aside and out of her way, leaving her alone with Kaidan.  
  
“Kara…” Kaidan began, his eyes widening at the child she carried in her arms when Udina had stepped out of his field of vision.  
  
“Kaidan,” she answered, using her foot to wheel over a stool for her to sit on near the Major’s bed.  Once she was comfortable, Kara placed Presslie on her thigh, arms wrapped securely around her daughter.  “Presslie, this is Major Kaidan Alenko.  He used to work with mommy on her first Normandy.  Kaidan, I’d like you to meet Presslie Richelle Moreau.  Joker is outside with her twin, Davina Stephanie.”  
  
“Kay Kay _ass_ ole!”  Presslie giggled, clapping her hands.  “Kay Kay _ass_ ole!”  
  
“Oh gods.  Presslie that’s… that’s not n-n-niiiice.”  Kara stuttered out as her body shook with laughter.  Kaidan’s glower didn’t help, making her laugh even harder.  “I’m… I’m so sorryyyyy…” she gasped out, though she didn’t sound apologetic in the least.  
  
“Kay Kay _ASSOLE!_ ”  
  
“Presslie Richelle!”  Kara’s voice was somewhat stern once she calmed herself down enough to regain her composure.  Glancing back over at Kaidan, seeing the way his brows were drawn together, she shrugged a bit, lips still quirking with repressed mirth.  “You have to admit, though, you have been a bit of a shit, Kaidan.”  
  
“Thit!  Thit, thit, thit!” Presslie crowed.  
  
“Presslie…” she tried to reprimand her daughter, then sighed, her body still shaking.  “Aww, fuck it.  Between myself and Joker, it’s not going to get any better,” she grinned.  “Now Presslie, I want you to say sorry to Major Alenko for calling him an asshole.  That wasn’t nice, okay?”  
  
Kaidan was taken aback at how much like Kara the little imp looked when she pouted at her mother before focusing the Flight Lieutenant’s eyes on him when she turned her head in his direction.  
  
“Sowwy,” the tiny blonde grumped, turning back to Kara and patting her tiny hands on her mother’s cheeks.  “Mama?”  
  
“Thank you, sweetie.”  Kara looked over at Kaidan, breaking off the little mother/daughter moment, her mini me following her lead.  
  
“It’s okay, Presslie,” the Major replied, earning smiles from both females.  
  
“Hey, uh, Kara?” Kara and Kaidan looked over to the door where Joker stood with the stroller, Davie fast asleep and emitting tiny little snuffles from her seat.  “They’re calling us in early.  Figured I’d come get you.”  
  
“Thanks, babe,” Kara smiled, getting up from her perch on the stool and situating Presslie back on her hip.  
  
“Kara… Shepard… hell, what do I call you now?” Kaidan asked.  She turned to see sadness reflected in her former friend’s eyes.  
  
“Shepard is fine.  Commander works too.  It’s what everyone’s used to so I won’t press the issue until the war is over,” she smirked.  “Besides, if people started calling me Moreau, it might get confusing since there’s already one in the cockpit.”  
  
“Bridge!” they heard her husband call out.  
  
“ _Cock_ -pit!” she retorted.  
  
“I give up!”  
  
“Either way, I need to get going.  Don’t wanna be late for the twin’s appointment,” Kara stated, turning again towards the door.  
  
“Shepard… I…” Kaidan sighed, fingers fumbling nervously with the sheets covering him.  “I’m sorry for being such an ass and not letting myself see what I didn’t want to believe.  The next time you’re here on the Citadel, if they haven’t released me, will you come back for a visit?  Maybe we could actually talk?”  
  
“Yeah.  There’s a good chance Joker might want to come along, just to warn you now.”  
  
“I understand.  I hurt you both and for that I’m truly sorry.  But, I’ve taken up enough of your time, Commander.  I’ll see you next time.”  
  
“Take care, Kaidan.  We need you back at 100%.  You’re still one hell of a soldier.”  
  


* * *

  
“Damnit,” Joker choked out, tears soaking into the shoulder of Kara’s hoodie as the two of them held onto each other after they had left the doctor’s office.  “She shouldn’t have to deal with my disease, no matter how mild it might be.”  
  
“I’m sorry love,” Kara murmured, her arms wrapped as tight as she dared around her husband.  “I know how much you were hoping Presslie would test negative.  We’ll get through this.  We always find some way to come out the other side.  This’ll be no different.”  
  
“Papa?”  Presslie reached out and tugged on Joker’s  jeans, her little face scrunched up at the sadness in her parents’ voices.  Davina looked up at the two of them for a moment before her attention was caught up by all the activity in the hospital.    
  
“What’re we gonna do, Kara?” he sniffled, pulling back to crouch down next to his daughters, giving them each a gentle kiss on their foreheads, his red rimmed gaze finally moving up to focus on his wife’s face.  
  
“Well, luckily, their grandpop has a lot of experience with Vroliks, having raised you, so we talk to him and use him as a resource.  Then there’s you.  You live with it, so you’d know even better how we need to handle this.  I’m the noob here, Jeff.  Until I met you, I’d never had firsthand experience with the disease.  Hell, I didn’t even know what Vroliks was until you explained it, remember?”  
  
He winced a bit, remembering his overreaction to Kara’s initial ‘getting to know you’ questions aboard the SR-1.  “I was such an ass to you that day.  How the hell did I ever catch your eye?”  
  
Helping him up from his crouch, Kara wrapped her arms lightly around his neck and smiled.  “Yeah you were one grouchy S.O.B., weren’t you?  But also intelligent, snarky, and there was this one time, on a planet called Ilos, that you did the impossible and dropped a Mako in conditions no one else could have done without wrecking it.  I think that was when I fell in love.  I found a man just like me who could make the impossible possible.”  
  
“Thank you,” he sighed, resting his forehead against hers.  “You have no idea how much I needed that.”  
  
“Think on the bright side, love.  Presslie will never end up like mommy, wading through the muck and getting shot in the face.”  Her grin was a bit lopsided and sad, but it had the desired effect when Joker let out a little laugh.  
  
“Ain’t that the truth, though the developing biotic nodes in Davie means we’ll have to keep her away from Jack.  Gods only knows what she’d try to teach that little scamp.  We’d probably have to bolt everything down so she wouldn’t toss a room with a shockwave temper tantrum,” Joker snorted.  
  
“Oh gods, I can see it now.  One of us pisses her off and it’s singularity time!”  
  
“Shit.”  Joker’s shoulders shook with silent laughter.  
  
“Thit!”  Presslie chimed in.  
  
“Gods damnit,” Kara chuckled.  
  
“Gorramit!”  Davie piped up.  
  
“We’re in so much trouble,” Joker sighed, though his lips quirked as he tried to tamp down a grin.  “The galaxy’s best and brightest and our kids will go to school knowing more about how to cuss like sailors than how to count or say their ABC’s.”  
  
“You said it, not me,” Kara snickered.  
  


* * *

  
Thane watched the couple and their twins exit the hospital proper, the group more subdued as they re-entered the lobby than when they had arrived at Huerta Memorial a few hours prior.  Standing, he approached the small group, bowing to them once he had gotten their attention.  
  
“None of that formal stuff, Thane, please,” Kara smiled, reaching out to grab him up into a hug.  She relaxed a fraction as it was returned, then stepped back so Thane could shake Joker’s hand.  
  
“I trust everything went all right inside?  I meant to talk to you earlier, when you arrived, but you seemed to have plans and I did not want to interrupt,” Thane said, looking between the two of them.  
  
“Mama?” Davie poked Kara in the knee, her head swiveling between her mother and the drell, curiosity in her gaze.  
  
Thane looked down at the two girls, a soft smile creasing his lips.  Instead of taking a seat on one of the chairs nearby, he put himself on the level of the twins by sitting on the floor.  
  
“Davina, Presslie, this is your uncle Thane,” Joker answered Davie’s question.  “He helped us with some of the last bad guys we fought.”  
  
Thane laughed as the dark haired twin launched herself out of the stroller and into his arms, grinning and patting his cheeks before placing a smacking kiss on his flat nose.  
  
“Tane!”  
  
“Are they always this friendly?” Thane asked, smiling as the little girl used her hands to map out all the differences of a drell’s head and neck compared to her own human features.  Presslie wasn’t far behind as she decided to climb up the assassin’s back.  
  
“Haven’t met a stranger yet, with the way they act around people,” Joker answered.  
  
“Well, uh, that’s not exactly true…” Kara flushed a bit pink, a chuckle escaping her.  
  
“Oh?”  Joker looked over at his wife.  
  
“Presslie kind of called Kaidan an asshole when we were visiting with him.  I’m thinking she might have overheard you talking about him during the stretch of time your dad and Gunny stayed with you and the twins while I was incarcerated.”  
  
“That’s just priceless!”  Joker guffawed.  
  
“Kaidan.  He’s the biotic in Intensive Care, yes?  I’m guessing he’s not the friend of yours I was led to believe?”  
  
“He used to be, until he got it in his head that my wife and he had a thing going and didn’t want to accept the obvious about her and me,” Joker replied.  “He was like a brother to us both until then.”  
  
“If he’s being truthful about his apology, he may be a friend again, but I don’t see that same level of trust returning that I once had for him,” Kara added on.  
  
“Either way, I will keep an eye on him while he is here.  I would try to…” Thane trailed off as a bout of intense coughing hit his frame, Davie pounding him on his back as if he were choking.  “Th-Thank you, little one,” he smiled at the girl.  Taking a few deep breaths, he looked back up at Kara and Joker.  “As I was going to say, I would try to keep an eye on these two as well but I spend most of my time here at Huerta for treatment as the Kepral’s worsens.  I do not get around as well as I used to.”  
  
“Any help is appreciated, Thane.”  Kara smiled.  
  
“Is everything all right, though?  You seemed… less… when you came back out those doors.”  
  
“Presslie was just diagnosed with a very mild case of Vroliks,” Joker’s voice was hushed as he answered.  
  
“My apologies, Joker, Commander,” Thane murmured, gathering both girls up into a gentle hug as they had each found a perch on his legs.  
  
“Thanks, Thane.”  Kara squeezed her friend’s shoulder affectionately.  “And while I’d love to stay and chat longer, we need to get the twins back to Jeff’s father and head back to the _Normandy_.  I have a turian primarch I need to escort to a war summit in the hopes it’ll get me troops I need for Earth so we can end this damned war.”  
  
“I completely understand.  I wish I could join you, but sadly the body does not seem to want to agree with the mind in this matter,” Thane smiled, though there was a note of apology in his voice.  
  
“It’s all right, Thane.  Now, more than ever, you need to spend what time you can with Kolyat.  None of us knows how this will play out so take the moments that you can and hold onto them for dear life.”  
  
“Uh, we know how it’ll play out, babe.  You’re gonna kick the Reapers’ asses and I’m going to be flying you to each hotspot in style,” Joker cracked, earning a grin from the other two.  
  
“Be that as it may, we still need to get going,” Kara chuckled, scooping the girls up and putting them back in the stroller.  “Tell Thane bye, girls!”  
  
“Bye Tane!”  
  
“Bye bye!”  
  
Thane waved to the small group as they exited the lobby, his heart lighter than it had been in a long time, seeing the happiness of his friends even if it was coated with a bit of sadness.  
  


* * *

  
“The krogan is in no position to make demands!” Dalatross Linron scoffed.  
  
“The krogan has a name:  Urdnot Wrex.  And I’m not some junkyard varren you unleash whenever you’re in trouble,” Wrex growled.  
  
“Shit,” Kara muttered under her breath while she approached the conference table.  
  
“I’ve got my own problems,” Wrex continued.  “Reaper scouts have been sighted on Tuchanka so what do I care if a few turians go extinct?”  
  
Kara took her place at the head of the table, uncomfortable enough being stuck in her formal dress blues.  The argument flowing around her as Victus and Wrex verbally sparred sparked her temper even further.  The moment her friend mentioned the genophage and the dalatrass flew off the handle, she wanted to slam her head against a wall a few times, causing her to miss out on a good chunk of the conversation.  
  
“The genophage was the only way to keep your… “urges” in check,” Kara heard the dalatrass retort.  
  
“All right, that’s _enough_!” she barked, using her Commander voice, waiting until the room quieted down for her to speak.  “You might think you know them best, Dalatrass Linron, but clearly you know _nothing_ of the krogan, especially the male standing in front of you.  He stuck by my side while I destroyed Saren’s cure for the genophage three years ago and deserves a hell of a lot more respect than what you’re giving him.  And as for their urges?  How could your people, who have the basic emotional attention span of a flea and no sex drive, ever _begin_ to understand what you did to them?  To your scientists it’s all hypothesis and mathematical probabilities of what _could_ be, not facts of what _will_ be.  The krogan deserve a damned cure and if that’s what it takes to make this happen, then that’s what we’ll do.  As it stands, I know who to talk to about formulating one.”  
  
Primarch Victus and Dalatross Linron stared at Kara, the latter frowning in such a way as if the Commander had grown a second head.  
  
“Damn, Shepard, I always knew you had a quad.  Glad to see being locked up didn’t soften you any,” Wrex chuckled.  Kara grinned in response.  “As it is, I think I have better information than you, for once.”  Turning to the others, Wrex began his spiel about Maelon and the salarian’s experiments towards curing the genophage, bringing up a video feed of the captive females.    
  
Kara’s eyes narrowed, her blue-grey orbs bouncing between Wrex’s proof and the dalatrass’s face.  
  
“You have got to be fucking kidding me.  Dalatrass, what’s your excuse for holding these females hostage?”  
  
“Did you ever think this could be a fabrication?” Linron sidestepped the question.  
  
“Don’t insult me.  Those are my people!  They’re immune to the genophage, and you’re going to give them back!” Wrex bellowed.  
  
“Uh, Kara, do I need to get security down there?” Joker asked through their personal channel.  
  
“As long as I’m here, Wrex won’t do anything stupid,” she murmured.  “He respects me too much for that.  We’re good, love.”  
  
“And to think I would feel safer with Grunt on board right now instead of Wrex,” the pilot sighed.  “Well call me if you need anything.  Joker out.”  
  
“Dalatrass, is this true?” Victus asked.  
  
“How will curing the genophage benefit my people?” The dalatrass again sidestepped the question asked of her.  
  
Kara snorted and walked over next to Wrex, crossing her arms over her chest.  Using her friend as a leaning post, she studied the salarian female for a moment before answering.  
  
“You’re more than welcome to try and deal with the Reapers yourself if you’d like, because if you’re not willing to help, that’s exactly what will happen.  I trust this guy right here with my life.  Wrex has proven himself to me over and over while we went after Saren and, outside of my friend Garrus, I’ve never had someone watch my six as diligently as him.  He knows what friendship and loyalty means, dalatrass.  You, on the other hand, I wouldn’t trust behind me.  I’d be expecting a shot in the back at every turn.”  
  
“I can also guarantee that I’ll be the last friendly turian you ever see,” the Primarch added.  
  
“The females are being held at one of our STG bases on Sur’Kesh,” the dalatrass sighed.  “But I warn you, Commander, the consequences of this will be felt for centuries to come!”  
  
“This will be nothing compared to what will happen if the Reapers win!  Besides, a little goodwill can go a long fucking way, dalatrass.  The krogan deserve a chance at proving that they’re more than common mercenaries and thugs and I aim to give them that chance.”  
  
“Let’s go get the females!” Wrex grabbed onto Kara’s wrist and, in his enthusiasm, began dragging her toward the door.  
  
“You’re not setting foot on Sur’Kesh!” Linron interrupted Wrex’s eagerness to leave, stopping him short, with Kara bouncing into his hump and staggering back a few steps, earning a mumbled apology from her friend.  
  
“It happens now, dalatrass.  As a Council Spectre, Commander Shepard will oversee the exchange,” Victus ordered.  
  
“We’re going,” Kara snarled, this time grabbing Wrex by the wrist and storming out of the room.  
  
“I won’t forget this, Commander!” Linron called out.  “A bully has few friends when they need them most!”  
  
“Go suck an egg,” Kara muttered, even knowing that the dalatrass couldn’t hear her.  “Wrex, grab your gear and meet me down in the cargo hold while I have Joker bring us in close enough to deploy the shuttle.”  
  
“Kara…” Wrex began, resting a heavy hand on her shoulder.  “What you just did for the krogan in there, I won’t forget it.”  
  
Looking up at her friend, she saw a suspicious wetness in his eyes at his admission.  Nodding to him, she reached up and squeezed his hand before heading up toward the cockpit, her friends words touching something deep inside to where she was afraid she’d burst into tears.  
  
“So… Sur’Kesh, huh?  Just be careful of those salarians down there.  Knowing them and their scientific toys, they might have something strange enough as a fecal analyzer sitting out in the open,” Joker stated the moment Kara entered the cockpit, earning a snort of laughter from his wife.  
  
“It wouldn’t surprise me in the least.  Just do me a favor and keep your eyes and ears open while I’m down there.  Remember, things like this never go as smoothly as they should when I’m involved.  Simple snatch and grabs always turn out to be much more complicated than need be.”  
  
“Always, love.  I might not be able to watch your six like Wrex or Garrus, but I’m always up in orbit, keeping an eye out, and aiming the big gun on whoever looks at you funny.”  
  
“And that’s why you’re perfect.”


End file.
